On Wednesday, state lawmakers will meet for the final time in 2017, and appear likely to pass at least one new law restricting women’s access to reproductive healthcare. If approved and signed by Gov. Kasich, this would make 20 bills limiting the right to an abortion enacted into law since 2011.

Reproductive healthcare bills to watch this week:

HB214 (LaTourette and Merrin) Down Syndrome Abortion Ban – this legislation would make it a fourth degree felony for a doctor to perform an abortion if a woman’s reasons for ending a pregnancy may include a Down syndrome diagnosis. The bill, which has already passed in the House, is up for a vote tomorrow in the Senate Health, Human Services and Medicaid committee and, if passed, could go to the full Senate as early as Wednesday. Virtually identical Senate legislation (SB164, LaRose) is likely to be scheduled for a House vote on Wednesday meaning that either bill could have the necessary approval by both chambers necessary to land on the Governor’s desk this week.

Senate Session (possible vote on HB214) will take place at 1:30 pm on Wednesday

House Session (possible votes on SB164, HB258-see below) will take place at 1:30 pm on Wednesday

HB258 (Hagan, Hood) Six Week Abortion Ban – this bill, also referred to as the “Heartbeat bill” would outlaw abortion at the earliest detection of a fetal heartbeat, which can occur as early as six weeks–earlier than many women learn they are pregnant. The same measure was vetoed by Governor Kasich last year. The House Health Committee will hold a vote on HB258 at its Wednesday morning meeting.

SB28 (Uecker) Fetal Tissue – this measure would require that fetal remains resulting from a surgical abortion at an abortion facility be disposed of by cremation or burial. The measure treats the same fetal material differently if it results from an abortion procedure compared to a miscarriage, and would significantly add to the cost of a legal abortion. The bill is up for a 2nd hearing featuring testimony from bill proponents in the Senate Government Oversight and Reform Committee, an 11-member panel with only one female member.

Other legislation set to move before lawmakers leave for winter break:

HB1 (Sykes, Manning) – Dating Protection Orders – this bill expand the definition of domestic violence to extend important legal protections to intimate partners who are not married and do not live together. The measure was a priority for the House and, if passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday, could be on the Senate floor Wednesday in time to become law before year’s end.

SB4 (Kunze, Oelslager) – Human Trafficking – this measure would create a process for victims of human trafficking who have been found not guilty or had their cases dismissed to have their criminal records expunged so they can avoid the negative consequences of a potential background check when seeking employment or housing.

When the Ohio General Assembly passed historic Charter School Reform in 2015, the state’s new Charter School Sponsor accountability system was touted as a key to improving Ohio’s nationally ridiculed charter school funding system.

The idea was if sponsors (authorizers in any other state) had to actually ensure their schools were effectively educating students, then the sponsors would drop poor performing schools, cleaning the market of Ohio’s worst performing charter schools.

But that hasn’t exactly happened. There are fewer charter schools operating today than when the legislation was passed, but that has been primarily because new schools haven’t opened at nearly the pre-reform rates, which would typically make up for the closed schools.

As you can see, in the two full school years after Ohio’s charter reform legislation, fewer charter schools have closed than in the two years prior to the legislation. While the closures tend to be more high-profile given the media’s heightened sensitivity to charter schools, closures are slightly down since the legislation passed.

Why is this, given the law’s clear intent to force sponsors to be more vigilant over their schools’ performance?

Well, it’s because the charter sponsor evaluation system is deeply flawed, vastly overrating a sponsor’s ability to fill out paperwork over a sponsor’s ability to ensure students are learning at their schools.

In addition, sponsors have realized that if they are able to sponsor more dropout recovery schools, whose accountability system is notoriously lax, they’ll be able to hide their regular schools’ mostly poor academic performance.

Overall, dropout recovery schools rate about twice as high on their academic ratings as regular charter schools. In addition, their weighted ratings (which accounts for how many students attend the schools and are aggregated for a sponsor’s overall academic rating) are about 10 times higher than a typical Ohio charter school — still very low, but not quite as low.

This despite the fact the average dropout recovery school doesn’t graduate even 1 out of 4 of its students on time.

So these things are like gold to a charter school sponsor. And if you don’t have any in your portfolio, you’re behind the eight-ball.

Of the nine Ohio charter school sponsors that had zero dropout recovery schools under their purview last school year, five were rated ineffective or poor, meaning they could be forced as early as next school year to give up sponsoring charter schools.

This dovetails with the incongruity of a sponsor like Scioto County Career Technical Center, which is one of only eight sponsors to earn an A academic grade, being rated as one of the state’s worst charter school sponsors because it didn’t meet the state’s bureaucratic requirements. Their Poor rating means that one of the state’s highest performing academic charter sponsors would not be allowed to sponsor schools next school year, assuming they lose any appeals.

This result was not what the sponsor evaluation system was supposed to accomplish.

The state needs to fix this flawed system, weighting sponsors’ academic performance more heavily than its bureaucratic components. Instead of all three counting the same, I would like to see academics count as one-half of the grade with the other two counting 25 percent each. That’s better than the current system only counting academics as one-third of a sponsor’s grade.

It should also be impossible to be rated an effective sponsor unless your academic component is at least a C. Nor should you be rated ineffective if your academic rating is a B or A.

What should matter to policymakers is what the children who attend schools under these sponsors’ aegis are learning, not how well the sponsors’ adults fill out forms.

I wrote last week about the House tax plan to help working families with the cost of child care. At the time, I noted that the House plan leaves out 818,000 Ohio kids, while creating a brand new tax windfall to high-income families earning up to $300,000. The Senate announced its proposal today, and it somehow manages to be even worse.

The Senate plan would add $1,000 per child to the value of the Child Tax Credit, but like the House, makes the extra amount nonrefundable. As a result, the new credit cannot be claimed if a family has no tax liability, as is the case for a single parent earning minimum wage. Even middle-income families cannot enjoy the full $2,000 per child credit unless they owe at least that much in taxes. As noted before, approximately 818,000 Ohio kids are expected to see little or no benefit from the proposal because of its nonrefundability.

Even as the plan leaves out families who are most in need, the Senate extends the credit to even more wealthy families. Today, the value of the credit begins to phase out for couples earning more than $110,000, but the Senate plan would allow families earning up to $500,000 to enjoy the full value of the additional tax savings.

And the Senate changes are temporary. Families will see the value of the tax credit shrink starting in 2026, even while the corporate tax reductions will remain in permanent law.

Down Syndrome Abortion Bill Up For Vote In Senate; Could Be Sent To Kasich For Signing This Week

Senate Committee to Vote on Down Syndrome Abortion Ban Tomorrow

SB 164, a companion bill to the Down syndrome abortion ban already passed by the House is scheduled to be voted out of committee this week. If this happens, the most likely scenario will see the entire Senate taking it up the next day for a vote. If passed, it will then be sent to Governor Kasich to be signed into law.

The Senate committee will meet tomorrow at 3:15 PM in Rm 315.

Senate Session is scheduled for Wednesday at 1:30 PM.

Outside of pressuring Governor Kasich to veto the legislation, these two votes will be last opportunities to stop this legislation.

Another Abortion Ban Is Moving Towards Passage

SB 145, a bill that would outlaw the most common method of second trimester abortions will have its first hearing in the House on Tuesday at 1:30 PM in House Criminal Justice Committee in Rm 114. This bill has already been passed by the Senate.

Stand Your Ground Bill Gets Second Hearing

SB 180, a version of the “Stand Your Ground” laws passed in other states gets a second hearing this week. This bill would eliminate the duty to retreat before using deadly force for most places in Ohio. It would also raise the legal standard of disproving a defendant acted in self-defense and shift the burden of defeating a self-defense claim by a defendant to the prosecutor.

This bill will be considered in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday November 14th @ 10:15 AM in the North Hearing Rm.

Raise Your Voice to Stop the Bans

The Ohio legislature has continued to advance abortion bans, making it more difficult and costly – and sometimes completely impossible – to access reproductive health care. This upcoming week, the legislature will take up two abortion ban bills: the Senate version of the Down syndrome abortion ban (SB164) and the abortion method ban (SB145).

TAKE ACTION: It’s time for the legislature to stop the bans! You can take action in a few different ways:

Show up: Attend the StopTheBans Statehouse Day(s) hosted by our partners at NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio starting at 1:30 PM on Tuesday, November 14. Get the full details and schedule here.

Contact your representative: Find and contact your state legislators here. Urge them to end attacks on abortion access, including the Down syndrome abortion bans (SB164 and HB214) and the abortion method ban (SB145)

Get active on social media: Use the hashtag #StopTheBans to add your voice to the conversation

Since taking office, Donald and Ivanka Trump have often promised that tax reform would provide help to families struggling with the high cost of childcare. The GOP tax plan, released last week, falls far short and actually leaves many families with children worse off.

Note: This post refers to legislation currently pending in the US House of Representatives. A separate bill has been introduced in the Senate and varies slightly from the House version, notably by allowing families earning up to $1 million to claim the Child Tax Credit.

The GOP tax plan, currently pending in the US House, would increase the child tax credit (CTC) for working parents from $1000 to $1600 per child. (Unlike deductions, which reduce the amount of income on which you are taxed, tax credits directly reduce the amount of tax you must pay). The existing credit is only partially “refundable”, meaning that families due a tax refund, or who owe less the amount of the credit, only get a fraction of its face value, not to exceed 15 percent of their income over $3000. As a result, families living in poverty are already less likely to benefit than those in the middle class.

The additional $600 in the GOP plan is not refundable. Families with no net tax liability (e.g. a single mother working at minimum wage) will see absolutely no additional benefit. At the same time, the plan allows married couples earning as much as $230,000 to receive the full value of the credit, a big increase from today’s $110,000 income limit.

Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

The expanded CTC does not grow over time, so each year it will lose value relative to the ever-increasing cost of child care. The bill also adds a $300 credit for each parent and non-child dependent in a household, but that provision phases out in five years and is also non-refundable, again meaning that its benefit will go primarily to middle to upper income earning families. Combined, these two factors are the reason most analysts show that any tax reduction enjoyed by working families turns into a tax increase within a few years:

According to a new analysis, the increased child tax credit would provide no relief to the parents of 388,000 Ohio kids, and provide only a fraction of the full benefit for another 430,000 kids in the state.

In its plan, GOP leaders ignored Ivanka Trump’s proposed solution, crafted with Sen. Marco Rubio, to increase the child tax credit to $2000 and make it fully refundable. That change could have made a small yet meaningful difference for families struggling to pay the cost of childcare, which in Ohio averages over $11,000 per child. Upon its introduction, Marco Rubio took to Twitter to say the extra $600 does not achieve the President’s goal of helping working families. We agree.

When taken in combination with other changes in the GOP plan, working families are likely to be much worse off. While doubling the standard deduction, the bill also eliminates a number of exemptions and deductions that families currently enjoy including a $4050 per family member exemption, as well as deductions for student loan interest, adoption expenses, state and local income taxes and out-of-pocket medical costs. Families with multiple children, or high expenses in one or more of these categories (beyond the amount of the increased standard deduction) are likely to pay more under the GOP plan.

Bottom Line: over time, the GOP proposal to raise the CTC could still mean a tax increase for low-income families, little to no benefit for families in the middle, and a sizable new tax cut for families earning $110,000 to $230,000.

Yesterday, Innovation Ohio’s Erin Ryan testified before the House Ways and Means Committee on House Bill 61, legislation that would exclude women’s menstrual supplies from the Ohio sales tax. Erin argued that, just like groceries and rent, menstrual supplies are a basic necessity, and should be exempt from taxation.

Erin discussed the unfairness of a tax system that excludes race cars and newspapers from taxation, but taxes women for purchasing what the Food and Drug Administration classifies as “medical supplies”.

Empowers bosses to exert moral/spiritual control over female employees

Undermines women’s health and economic security

The Trump administration filed a new rule on Friday that represents a direct attack on the rights of millions of women to access health care. Under the Affordable Care Act, birth control is identified as one of 8 essential preventive services for women that must be covered by insurance plan. The Trump rule greatly broaden the types of organizations that can be exempted from the coverage requirement.

Thanks to the ACA requirement that birth control must be covered without co-pay or deductible, the share of women who had out-of-pocket costs for contraceptives has fallen sharply. Today, 62.4 million U.S. women have insurance coverage of birth control without out-of-pocket costs. In Ohio alone, it is estimated that 2.2 million women now benefit from no-cost birth control coverage.

In implementing the ACA, the Obama administration made certain exceptions for explicitly religious organizations including religiously-affiliated colleges and hospitals. And, as a result of the Hobby Lobby case (which Ohio’s Attorney General Mike DeWine eagerly supported), the Supreme court extended that to closely held private businesses which had a specific religious objection. The new Trump rule goes much further, essentially allowing any employer or college that provides group health insurance coverage to opt out of providing birth control for “religious or moral” reasons.

This move threatens women’s economic security by denying them the basic freedom to make decisions about whether and when to have children. It further denies women access to basic preventive health services, which are required to be covered under the law, in a way that opponents say is clearly illegal sex-based discrimination.

The rules were filed as “final interim rules” effective October 6, meaning that there will not even be a public comment period prior to them taking effect. The ACLU and three states have filed suit and the Attorneys General of 15 other states have joined in opposition.

Innovation Ohio to Testify in Support of Tampon Tax Repeal Bill; Down Syndrome Abortion Ban Gets Third Hearing

Bill Ending the Tax on Feminine Hygiene Products to Get Second Hearing on Tuesday

The House Ways and Means Committee will be hearing proponent testimony Tuesday @ 9 AM in Room 121 on HB 61, a bill that would end Ohio’s sales tax on the sale of feminine hygiene products. This tax on a basic necessity can be especially burdensome to women in poverty. Currently, 13 states and DC exempt these products from sales taxes. With four doing so in the past year. Innovation Ohio’s Erin Ryan will be providing proponent testimony on this bill to highlight the importance of rolling back this tax on Ohio’s women.

Bill Banning Abortion For Women Pregnant With Fetus Diagnosed With Down Syndrome Gets Third Hearing

HB 214, a bill preventing women from aborting a fetus diagnosed with Down Syndrome if that diagnosis is in some way part of the reason for seeking the abortion, will receive a third hearing this week. The House Health Committee will meet on Wednesday @ 9 AM in Room 121 to hear opponent and interested party testimony on the bill.

Both Houses in Session This Week

The House and Senate are both scheduled to be in Session on Wednesday at 1:30 PM.

Call Your State Lawmaker and Urge them to Support HB 61 and End the Tax on Women

Today, the US House of Representatives will debate and vote on a 2018 Budget Resolution (H. Con Res. 71) that sets the stage for trillions of dollars in cuts to programs people rely on, in order to lay the groundwork for a massive tax cut for the wealthy and corporations.

Like its 2017 predecessor which made it possible to repeal the Affordable Care Act with just 50 votes, the 2018 budget resolution similarly containes “reconciliation” instructions that will allow Congress to come back any time in the next year and enact tax breaks and spending cuts with a slim majority of Senators.

The House Budget resolution incorporates the same ACA repeal measure that the chamber passed earlier this year – a package which would cause 23 million to lose their health care, eliminates the Medicaid expansion but also caps the traditional Medicaid program at the expense of children, seniors and people with disabilities.

The resolution goes even further, however, and makes cuts to Medicare, environmental protection, Pell Grants, student loans, food assistance and many other programs American families depend on for their health, safety and economic security. In total, the package cuts $5.8 trillion from vital programs so that it can later be spent on huge tax breaks for a narrow minority of wealthy individuals and corporations.

Call your Representative today at 1-888-516-5820 and tell them to vote NO on this dangerous budget.

Now that the state budget has been put to bed, complete with Gov. John Kasich’s veto, we can finally tell how kids in Ohio’s 600 plus school districts have done during Kasich’s eight years in office.

The results aren’t good. Because Kasich drastically cut and all but eliminated essential revenue streams for children in public school districts, they will have more than $900 million fewer in this biennium than they had during the Great Recession biennium of 2010-2011.

Comparing school funding levels – 2010 vs. 2018

The bottom line is Ohio’s school districts will receive $903 million fewer over the next two years than they received during the two years budgeted at the height of the Great Recession, adjusted for inflation. In the 2018-2019 school year alone, districts will receive $492.7 million less.

While it is true that the state’s state aid line item is the highest it’s ever been, Kasich and his legislative allies’ decision to abruptly end reimbursement payments to school districts for lost tangible personal property tax and public utility tax revenues (from tax reforms that have not resulted in appreciably more Ohio jobs), as well as their refusal to replace federal funding meant to prop up state budgets during the Great Recession’s steep state revenue declines have meant that overall state funding to schools has, in reality, plummeted during the last eight years.

None of this cut includes the significant increase in funding to school privatization efforts in just the last six years – a more than 27 percent increase to state aid transfers from school districts to privately run charter schools and a whopping 205 percent increase in state funding deductions from school districts to private school vouchers– that also remove significant sums of state dollars from school district bottom lines.

In constant dollars, about 2 out of every 3 Ohio school districts will receive less total aid from the state this next two years than they did from the budget passed during the height of the Great Recession.

The biggest loser by far is the Cleveland Municipal School District, which is receiving a whopping $170 million fewer over the next two years. That’s about the same amount cut as the top 20 gaining districts will receive combined. Remember that Gov. John Kasich has insisted that Cleveland make drastic changes or face state take over. Clearly, he has asked that while removing significant sums of state dollars from the district, making any success the Cleveland Plan is having a minor miracle and a testament to the teachers and district leaders working together with far less state support than ever (for a detailed look at the Cleveland Plan, read our report).

Also of note is that Northern Local School District in Perry County, which was the district that originally sued the state in 1991 because it had to rely too much on property taxes – a premise the Ohio Supreme Court ruled four times was an unconstitutional way to fund schools – will receive $5.7 million fewer over the next two years, forcing Northern Local to (you guessed it) rely more on property taxes.

The state’s historic, 8-year step back from the education funding table has led to property owners paying more property taxes than ever to educate their community’s children, and at higher rates.

Trumpcare: Where We Stand

The Senate plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act effectively died Monday, as four GOP Senators announced opposition to the bill. In response, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell now says he will bring a repeal-only bill to the floor in the coming days. According to the Congressional Budget Office, such a move would be disastrous:

32 million would lose coverage by 2026; 18 million would become uninsured in 2018 alone.

Premiums would rise by 25% next year, then 50% in two years, and doubling by 2026.

Insurers would leave the individual market.

Households earning over $1 million would see over $50,000 per year in tax breaks.

It’s unlikely the repeal path will succeed. Senators Murkowski, Capito and Collins have all said they will oppose a motion to start debate on the repeal bill, already denying McConnell the 50 votes necessary to move the bill. Rob Portman has expressed strong concerns that the approach causes too much uncertainty, but hasn’t yet committed to voting no. Governor Kasich, for his part, signed onto a letter with a bipartisan group of 11 governors opposing the repeal and replace later approach.

The latest effort is to work out a deal on Medicaid with Senate moderates. There is also strong pressure being applied to moderates like Portman from conservative groups that tend to fund their campaigns, so we are by no means out of the woods.

Other Congressional Threats to Healthcare

While larger health reform efforts have been unsuccessful, the House budget resolution for the upcoming fiscal year offers an alternative path to the same outcome. The House plan would cut $1.5 trillion from Medicaid, change it into a block grant and end expansion – a more severe proposal than anything in either the House or Senate plans. The GOP caucus may be unable to reach middle ground on this plan, but one way or another they want to find a way to make deep cuts to Medicaid in order to pay for tax cuts. Stay tuned to the budget process.

Medicaid in the Crosshairs of Ohio Lawmakers

The future of healthcare is also on the minds of lawmakers here in Ohio and activists will need to continue to pay attention at the state level to prevent massive loss of health coverage.

First, lawmakers still have hopes of thinning the ranks of Medicaid enrollees through the so-called “Healthy Ohio” program, which would require low-income Ohioans to pay into health savings accounts or risk losing Medicaid. The measure was vetoed by Governor Kasich, but the House voted to override the Governor earlier this month. The Senate is taking the summer off, but could join their House colleagues in an override vote as early as mid-August. For more on the veto override process, see our earlier blog post.

Beyond the budget, a number of other bills currently pending in the Ohio Statehouse reflect the ongoing debate over the future of the Affordable Care Act:

SB99 would close Ohio’s Medicaid program to new enrollment in the expansion group (working age adults with incomes below 138 percent of poverty). SB168 ends Medicaid expansion entirely.

Neither of the measures have made it out of committee, but are a sure sign that no matter what happens in Congress, Ohio lawmakers have the capacity and willingness to act unilaterally to deny healthcare to thousands if they so choose.

For their part, Ohio Democrats have introduced legislation to dramatically reshape Ohio’s healthcare universe. Senate Bill 91, sponsored by Senators Mike Skindell and Charleta Tavares would establish a single-payer healthcare program, available to all state residents, including the homeless and migrant workers. The bill has only had a single hearing in the Senate Insurance and Financial Institutions committee.

As advocates for universal, affordable healthcare, we must pay attention not only to Congress, also developments at the state level, staying in constant touch with state lawmakers.

For the latest information on legislation moving at the Ohio Statehouse, sign up for updates from the relevant committee that a bill is assigned to, and stay tuned to IO’s legislative alerts to find out if they begin to move forward.

Much of what happened last week at the Statehouse was unprecedented. For the first time since 1977, a chamber of the General Assembly voted to overturn a Governor’s veto. All told, the House of Representatives voted to overturn 11 of Kasich’s 47 vetoes. Thankfully, the Medicaid expansion freeze veto was not among the 11.

Since this is unprecedented, let’s talk about process for a moment. The Ohio Constitution gives the General Assembly the authority to override a Governor’s veto with a three-fifths majority vote by each chamber. The relevant provision, Article II § 16, does not assign a specific timeline for the General Assembly to override the Governor’s veto. Therefore, the General Assembly has until the end of the legislature’s term to override a veto. In this case, the legislature could wait until December of 2018 to vote to override.

This is important for two reasons. First, as of now, the Senate has not conveyed whether or not it intends to vote to override any of the Governor’s vetoes. The chamber just cancelled two as-needed sessions scheduled for July 18th and 19th, and it doesn’t appear they will be back until after summer recess. Typically, the two chambers will adjourn for recess after a budget vote – and will not come back until September.

Secondly, just because the House did not vote to override the Medicaid expansion freeze veto in its initial round of veto overrides does not mean it won’t do so in the future. In fact, Speaker Rosenberger has publicly stated that his chamber may revisit the issue once the federal government comes to a resolution to its ongoing push to enact healthcare reform. In my opinion, it is likely a forgone conclusion that if the federal government were to reduce its pledged financial obligations to the state regarding Medicaid then we will see the General Assembly vote to override Kasich’s veto on the freeze.

What does all of this mean? Uncertainty. Which is a bad way for a state to operate – especially around its budget – which is something relied upon by every single citizen, company, organization, and local government as they plan their future.

For example, a few of the vetoed provisions overridden by the House dealt with the administration of Medicaid – essentially taking authority from the executive branch and transferring it to the legislature. The Governor’s Budget Director Tim Keen, recently stated that if these measures were enacted it would create a $1.4 billion shortfall in Ohio’s budget. This is because the Governor’s proposed budget accounted for $1.4 billion in anticipated savings due to future Medicaid policy changes. The final budget passed out of the General Assembly eliminated the ability for the Governor to enact those cost saving measures – but still accounted for the savings therefore creating a significant shortfall.

For now, we will have to wait and see how the two chambers will proceed on these vetoes. It appears to be an issue that will not be resolved any time soon and will likely hang as a cloud over state government.

We honestly didn’t expect to be sending an email this week. Typically the General Assembly would be quiet for the holiday, but lawmakers plans to convene on Thursday to override many of the Governor’s budget vetoes, perhaps weakening the state’s gun laws while they’re in town.

AT THE STATEHOUSE – BUDGET VETO SHOWDOWN

On Friday, Governor Kasich announced he had vetoed 47 items in the state budget. Read the Governor’s veto announcement. Among the Kasich vetoes:

Three provisions to limit Medicaid expansion enrollment, including the freeze.

Changes to an oversight board that would have made it easier to allow fracking in state parks.

A proposal to consider the closure of state agencies every four years.

A plan to allow local telephone companies to stop offering basic lifeline service.

State funding cuts for Columbus over certain water and sewer charges.

A legislative fix to replace $200 in lost annual sales tax revenue, essential to the operation of counties and transit agencies.

A mandate to seek a waiver of federal Medicaid rules prohibiting inpatient treatment in facilities with more than 16 beds, a barrier to overcoming addiction.

Success! Thanks to an outpouring of support, Governor Kasich heeded the call to veto a proposal in the state budget to end enrollment in the Medicaid expansion starting in July, 2018.

But lawmakers haven’t given up. House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger has scheduled an unusual holiday-week legislative session for Thursday, July 6 at 9am, and has indicated there are enough votes in his chamber to override the Governor’s veto (the bill received 59 of the 60 votes needed for a veto override, but some “no” votes came from conservative lawmakers who may be persuaded to flip). Senate President Larry Obhof, whose chamber passed the budget with a veto-proof margin has not scheduled a date to hold an override vote but expressed confidence his chamber would do so.

Congress may be struggling to pass a bill to roll back healthcare, but lawmakers in Ohio are not. Yesterday, both GOP-controlled chambers of the Ohio legislature voted to approve a two-year state budget that takes direct aim at Medicaid expansion.

There are three main ways the budget bill (House Bill 49) that Governor Kasich must sign by midnight Friday will have a significant impact on access to healthcare for Ohio’s Medicaid expansion population (low income adults with incomes below 138 percent of federal poverty):

*this post has been edited to reflect last night’s vote in conference committee.

In an eerie parallel to what we are seeing in our nation’s capital, Ohio Republicans are preparing to enact a sweeping proposal that would cut healthcare for the state’s neediest in order to finance a tax cut for the rich and well-connected.

Last night, a Republican-controlled committee made up of lawmakers from Ohio’s House and Senate released the final version of a two-year state budget that in many ways looks remarkably similar to the Congressional healthcare proposal. But the Ohio plan could be equally devastating.

Compare:

There are three main components of the budget plan that will impact access to healthcare for Ohio’s Medicaid expansion population (low income adults with incomes below 138 percent of federal poverty):

Freeze on expansion (low-income adult) enrollment

New eligibility limits

Premiums for low-income recipients

The Senate added a “freeze” on enrollment in the Medicaid expansion program for low income adults, that blocks program reentry in the future. The Kasich administration, noting that many in that population hold low-wage and seasonal jobs where hours and income fluctuate, predicts that 70 percent of current recipients would likely permanently lose coverage within 18 months. Current enrollees, at risk of being unable to rejoin Medicaid later, would face a disincentive to employment or extra hours that would lift their incomes above the eligibility level. The administration estimates 500,000 Ohioans could lose coverage as a result.

The conference committee amended the freeze last night to allow current expansion recipients with addiction and mental health conditions to stay in the program, but continues to block anyone who becomes eligible (or sick) after July, 2018.

The House added language limiting access to Medicaid expansion (currently available to all adults with incomes below 138 percent of poverty) to those age 55 or over, as well as young individuals employed or enrolled in school, training, or addiction treatment, or who have “intensive” healthcare needs that make working impractical. In effect, the proposal would block coverage to the newly unemployed, anyone looking for work and people on a waiting list for addiction treatment.

Governor Kasich included a new $20 monthly premium for Medicaid recipients in the expansion category. However, many experts have noted that for people at very low incomes, even a modest premium can become a barrier to care. Providers who work with patients suffering with mental health and addiction problems have suggested that their health challenges make compliance with monthly payment requirements difficult to achieve. Fully 15 percent of the expansion population — over 100,000 Ohioans — could lose coverage as a result.

Every iteration of the state budget has included cuts or limits on the growth of Medicaid spending, most recently a $200 million cut that the Senate included to close an anticipated $1 billion revenue hole. These cuts and reductions in eligibility come in a budget which preserves an unproven $1.1 billion tax breakthat allows lawyers, lobbyists and even many lawmakers to shield a quarter of a million dollars in income each year from taxation. Closing this one tax loophole would eliminate the need for Medicaid and other cuts in the budget.

As the US Senate regroups to advance its plan to reduce taxes on the rich, paid for with cuts to healthcare coverage for poor and working Americans, we cannot lose sight of efforts by lawmakers closer to home that have the same effect.

With the expansion of Medicaid to low-income Ohioans, a significant new tool has been added to the toolboxes of County boards of Mental Health and Addiction Services around the state.

These agencies are on the front lines of what is an urgent and growing health crisis, providing treatment as well as prevention and recovery services. One thing that agencies around the state are finding is that, were it not for the expansion of Medicaid, they would be unable to cope with the crisis.

Our latest policy brief looks at the impact of Medicaid expansion on County Boards. In it, we quote directly these agencies around the state who report that, by freeing up dollars that would otherwise go toward treatment of addicts, they are now able to provide prevention, services in our jails, and recovery supports necessary to stop the cycle of addiction.

Congressional Republicans are working to pass a healthcare bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which will cause millions of people to lose health care and be particularly devastating to women. The Senate GOP crafted their bill in secret and released a “discussion draft” Thursday. A report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on the bill’s impact to coverage and affordability is expected early next week.

Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants a vote on bill by the July 4th recess, meaning that many Senators will be voting on a bill just days after they’ve had a chance to see it and understand its implications. With conservative Senators reluctant to sign on, it is likely to get worse in the amendment process.

Senator Portman has not stated how he would vote on the bill and needs to hear from constituents.

Below are materials to help you support the resistance to the Senate’s Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) by spreading the word, becoming better informed, and helping show Senator Portman that Ohioans are united in opposition to a harmful bill, crafted behind closed doors.

We will update this page as needed until the vote occurs.

Social Media Graphics

(click for full size)

Additional graphics based on direct quotes from County Boards of Mental Health and Addiction Services on the impact of Medicaid Expansion (which would likely end under AHCA) on their ability to respond to Ohio’s growing opioid addiction crisis:

Ohio Events

Events are being organized around Ohio to show support for preserving healthcare coverage and to urge Senator Portman to vote no on the BCRA. We will update this list as events are created. Send us info about yours at goodnight@innovationohio.org

With two weeks remaining before summer recess, this week’s newsletter includes more updates than usual as lawmakers rush to pass priority legislation before the break. Guns, abortions and private school vouchers are among the hot items on the agenda, as we outline below. We conclude with three actions you can take.

AT THE STATEHOUSE – BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS

This week, the Senate wraps up its work on the state two-year budget plan (HB49), with a vote expected in Finance committee tomorrow afternoon, followed by a vote of the full chamber on Wednesday. Addiitonal amendments are expected, though a Democratic proposal to fill a $1 billion budget gap by closing a tax loophole rather than making cuts to programs and services is unlikely to be adopted by the GOP majority.

After its adoption by the Senate, the bill heads to a conference committee with the House and must pass both chambers by the June 30 end of the current fiscal year.

Other hearings of note

A proposal (HB102, Brenner) to scrap local school taxes in favor of a statewide property tax, and make major changes to how the state funds public, charter and private schools is on the agenda for its first hearing in the House Finance committee tomorrow. Here’s what IO’s Education Policy fellow, Stephen Dyer, had to say about the measure:

It would take property tax and current state taxes, roll them into a big pot, then distribute it out to students who could then use them in any public or private school in the state. It would allow charter and private schools to collect local property tax revenue, while making it illegal for local school districts to go to the ballot to subsidize their students’ educations. The base per pupil amount Brenner is talking about — $8,720 per pupil — would mean that 85 percent of school districts would get cut (because they receive more now in state and local revenue than that) while 85 percent of charter schools would see increases. It would destroy many local school districts and could undo the state’s public education system.

In the House Education committee Tuesday, a proposal (HB220) to declare state funds distributed to charter schools are public dollars, subject to oversight gets a first hearing, and a plan to greatly expand Ohio’s private school voucher program (HB200) is up for a 5th hearing

Also on Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary committee will hold a 2nd hearing on SB145, legislation that would ban the most common method of 2nd trimester abortion. Last week’s hearing featured a silent protest featuring women dresses as characters from the Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian vision featuring forced birth. Abortion advocates again are calling on Ohioans to attend the hearing to demonstrate opposition to the measure. https://www.facebook.com/events/742881212560030

Tuesday also features a hearing of the House Federalism and Interstate Relations committee entirely dedicated to five new proposals to loosen Ohio’s gun laws. Bills up for a hearing include HB79 (firearms training), HB142 (duty to notify law enforcement of a concealed weapon), HB201 (eliminates licensing requirement for concealed carry), HB228 (eliminates “duty to retreat” and puts burden of proof on prosecution to disprove claims of guns used in self defense) and HB233 (decriminalize carrying into a gun free zone). A vote on HB142 is expected.

The House Criminal Justice committee on Tuesday takes up a proposal (SB4) to allow victims of human trafficking to have their criminal records expunged. The measure passed the Senate on a vote of 33-0 in May.

As the Ohio House Education Committee is expected to amend a “Private School Vouchers For All” bill this afternoon, Innovation Ohio has released a detailed analysis of the current voucher system and its impact on students.

Twenty years of data show that lawmakers should be re-examining the current private school voucher system instead of exponentially expanding it, as Senate Bill 85 and its companion House Bill 200 would do. Any proposed expansion could have ruinous effects on kids and families in both voucher schools and local public schools.

Among the data revealed in the new Innovation Ohio report:

Vouchers now affect children in 83% of Ohio’s school districts.

This year, more than $310 million in public money will be sent to private, mostly religious schools through vouchers.

Including additional direct state payments and reimbursements made to private, mostly religious schools, more than $568 million in Ohio taxpayer money is going to support these schools.

Every Ohio student not taking a voucher, on average, loses $63 a year in state funding.

Local taxpayers subsidize vouchers with $105 million in locally raised money to make up for districts losing state funding to Ohio’s voucher programs.

Students who take vouchers perform worse than their public school peers on state assessments
Some of the highest performing school districts in the state lose money and students to vouchers, turning the original intent of the program on its head.

Voucher expansion isn’t just here in Ohio. In President Trump’s proposed budget released in March, he and his Education Secretary Betsy DeVos have proposed a $1.4 billion voucher expansion nationwide beginning this fall, with an eye toward expanding it to $20 billion.

Lawmakers in Columbus and Washington must take heed of Ohio’s experience before the ideologues further push their misguided and failing voucher agenda.

BUCKLE UP!

We’re in the final 3 weeks of the legislative calendar before summer break, which is the time when priority bills start flying through committee so fast it makes your head spin. More on that below. We also have two actions you can take at the end of this week’s update.

AT THE STATEHOUSE

The legislature must send a completed budget to the Governor by June 30, and today we got our first look at how the Senate plans to address a $1 billion annual gap between expected state revenue and spending. In short, the Senate GOP announced the budget gap will be closed entirely through program cuts, leaving tax breaks and the $2 billion “raIny day fund” untouched. This comes despite revelations that the new “small business tax cut” costs the state $1 billion per year, without evidence that it produces any employment gains.

Other Hearings of Note

Also on Tuesday, the House Education and Career Readiness committee will hold its fourth hearing on a proposal (HB200) to expand the state’s private school voucher program to income-eligible students in all school districts, redirecting funding away from even the state’s high-performing public districts. IO’s Steve Dyer will testify at the hearing.

And on Wedneday, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee will hold its second hearing in as many weeks on HB114, legislation to unravel Ohio’s renewable energy and efficiency standards. The same proposal was vetoed by the Governor during the lame duck session, but Republicans have added more members in both the House and Senate, and may have the votes to override.

1. Stop Trumpcare
Senate Republicans are rushing through a dangerous rework of the nation’s healthcare system in hopes that voters won’t find out its effects until after it’s already been passed. It’s time to speak out against the American Healthcare Act. On Tuesday, attend a rally in Cleveland or Columbus, and on Wednesday, participate in the National Call-In Day to stop Trumpcare by calling Senator Portman at one of his office numbers:

Earlier this month, President Trump signed an executive order to form a voter-fraud investigation panel led by outspoken voter ID advocate Kris Kobach. Mr. Trump apparently enacted this investigation mainly to soothe his ego after his popular vote loss in the general election, but it will have far-reaching political consequences nonetheless.

“Voter fraud” is a new term to cloak an old strategy: voter suppression. Laws which require voters to show valid photo IDs at the polls, lauded by many Republicans as preventing fraud, actually depress turnout among poor, African-American, and Hispanic populations who are less likely to have valid government ID, but are more likely to vote for Demorats.

In Wisconsin, where a new voter ID law came into effect before the 2016 election, 300,000 eligible voters don’t have a photo ID. The state failed to educate voters about the new requirements, and one Navy veteran couldn’t cast a vote because he didn’t know his valid drivers’ license wouldn’t pass muster since it had been issued by another state. In the end, Wisconsin, which Trump won by only 22,000 votes, cast 91,000 fewer ballots in 2016 than in 2012. We’ll never know how many of those lost ballots were cast by voters turned away in 2016 for lack of valid photo ID.

It turns out that these laws, which are disenfranchising voters, are attempts to solve problems that are unlikely to exist. According to The Washington Post, out of more than 120 million ballots cast in the 2016 election, election officials found only four instances of actual voter fraud. Researchers at Arizona State University found only 10 instances of voter impersonation fraud (the only type of fraud photo ID is designed to prevent) in all US elections held between 2000 and 2012, or one out of every 15 million voters.

Given the lack of evidence of their necessity and their discriminatory outcomes, courts across the country have struck down strict voter ID laws. Most recently, the Supreme Court refused to hear a case in which a federal appeals court struck down a North Carolina voter ID law the court found was “target[ing] African-Americans with almost surgical precision.”

In Ohio, Republican lawmakers have been toying for years with similar photo ID legislation, and with up to 1,000,000 eligible voters without valid ID in the state (IO estimate), the results could be catastrophic.

]]>http://innovationohio.org/2017/05/26/justified-by-fake-claims-of-fraud-photo-id-laws-on-the-rise/feed/0How to Talk About the House Budgethttp://innovationohio.org/2017/05/18/how-to-talk-about-the-house-budget/
http://innovationohio.org/2017/05/18/how-to-talk-about-the-house-budget/#respondThu, 18 May 2017 12:39:31 +0000http://innovationohio.org/?p=14753

Every two years, Ohio’s Governor introduces and the legislature must pass a budget bill to set funding levels for every state agency and program. But the document is about far more than just money. The legislation is loaded with policy and law changes that can meaningfully impact people all across the state.

In our effort to empower and enlist constituents from across the state to watch the budget, and speak out to your representatives about programs and services that are vital for your family, friends and communities.

Over the next several weeks, members of the Ohio Senate are holding hearings and adding their changes to the House bill, before a Conference Committee works out differences between the two chambers.

To stay informed, sign up for our budget emails, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. We’ll let you know how you can be a champion for a budget that works for all Ohioans.

]]>http://innovationohio.org/2017/05/18/how-to-talk-about-the-house-budget/feed/0IO on the Budget: School District Funding in House Budget Proposalhttp://innovationohio.org/2017/05/17/io-on-the-budget-school-district-funding-in-house-budget-proposal/
http://innovationohio.org/2017/05/17/io-on-the-budget-school-district-funding-in-house-budget-proposal/#respondWed, 17 May 2017 19:19:12 +0000http://innovationohio.org/?p=14745

Now that the Ohio House of Representatives has passed its (unbalanced) budget, new district-by-district funding projections for the 2018-2019 biennium have also been released. And, while the numbers are slightly better than the original proposal contained in Gov. John Kasich’s budget, overall, school funding remains far behind where it was for children in public school districts during the Great Recession.

Some of the highlights (all Great Recession data is inflation-adjusted):

The House-passed version is $828.6 million short over the biennium compared with the state fiscal year (SFY) 2010-2011 biennium, at the depths of the Great Recession

In all, 395 Ohio districts will get less funding in 2018-2019, adjusted for inflation, than in 2010-2011

In 2019, the second year of the budget, districts will receive $447 million less than they received in 2011.

403 districts will see a funding drop in 2019 compared to 2011.

Cleveland loses $168 million over biennium and is $90 million short in second year.

The average Ohio district gets $1.3 million less over the 2018-2019 biennium, and $736,000 less in 2019 alone.

So while media coverage has been quick to point out how the House version provides more revenue than what the Governor proposed, what nearly all reports neglect to mention is how inadequate both versions are at meeting student needs.

To get breaking news about fast-moving developments in between our weekly updates, sign up for Legislative Alerts.

The House last week adopted its version of the two-year state budget, and the end product is a significant deviation from Governor Kasich’s original proposal, but still fails to make the needed investments in the state’s education system and threatens healthcare security for low-income Ohioans.

The House scrapped Governor Kasich’s tax shifting proposals and adds much-needed funding for the state’s addiction crisis. However, the package also holds funding for Ohio’s public colleges and universities flat, and ends the tuition caps which have kept costs low. Primary and secondary schools will receive $835 million less in the next school year, adjusted for inflation, than they received 8 years ago. House members also put major obstacles to the continuation of the state’s Medicaid expansion, the only viable form of coverage for over 710,000 Ohioans.

AT THE STATEHOUSE

On Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary committee will hold a vote on SB4, a proposal to allow the expungement of criminal charges for victims of sex trafficking. There is word that the organization representing County Prosecutors, which opposes the legislation, has produced an amendment that would limit the bill’s applicability 1st or 2nd degree felonies. This would have the effect of leaving many sex trafficked victims with felonies on their records that will haunt them as they try to move forward. Please call your Senator and urge them to reject the prosecutors’ amendment to SB4.

Also on Tuesday, the House Federalism & Interstate Relations committee will hold its first hearing on HB93, the TRUMP (Tax Returns Uniformly Made Public) Act. The bill, introduced by Rep. Kathleen Clyde in February, would mandate the public disclosure of a presidential candidate’s tax returns before they could appear on Ohio’s ballot.

On Thursday, Senate Finance Health and Medicaid subcommittee will hear public testimony on the mental health, developmental disabilities, Medicaid and board consolidation provisions in the budget (HB49) at 10am. If you’d like to submit written or in-person testimony, contact the office of Chairman Hackett.

TAKE ACTION

1. Call House Federalism and Interstate Relations Chairwoman Kristina Roegner and ask her to hold additional hearings on HB93, the TRUMP Act.
-and-

2. Call the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and urge them to reject the prosecutors’ amendment to SB4 and protect victims of sex trafficking:

FAKE BUDGET, REAL MESS

Last month, House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger stood alongside Governor John Kasich and Senate President Larry Obhof in what they wanted the public to believe was a united front that would address the disgraceful state of Ohio’s finances under their leadership.

In fiscal year 2017, the state is already $615 million short as tax revenues have come in below Kasich administration projections for eight of the last nine months. Last month, these leaders jointly announced that the proposed budget for 2018-2019, introduced in January and passed today by the House, is already so significantly out of balance they needed to break the news immediately. They then agreed to reduce spending $800 million over the next two fiscal years, promising to work together to pass a budget that was balanced at every step of the process:

Speaker Rosenberger:
“It is important that we are together as a team. At the end of the day, this team is not going to drop the ball…” [at 0:04]

“I’m committed to work with the Administration and the President to make sure we have a balanced budget that will pass out of the House, a balanced budget that will pass out of the Senate…” [at 1:21]

President Obhof:
“One, we’ve got teamwork and cooperation up here. And two, we’re all committed to making sure that at every step of the process the budget is something that is fiscally responsible and structurally balanced and sound.” [at 1:42]

Kasich Budget Director Tim Keen:
“All these things, we have to take into account, we have to get ahead of. We have to make sure we make the appropriate adjustments. This is not something that the leaders have determined we can wait until the conference committee to address. This is why we’re here today – to commit to work together to start to address this issue and ensure we have a balanced budget that is structurally balanced.” [at 4:10]

Now, instead of fixing the problems they’ve created with bad tax-shifting policies, the House Republicans have passed an unbalanced, fiscally irresponsible budget. By President Obhof’s own characterization, the House budget leaves “several hundred million dollars […] potentially more than that, open.” In fact, the House budget could not, by law, be enacted–because it is not balanced, according to the numbers they released at their press conference.

This budget is full of promises–more money for the addiction crisis, more money for schools, relief from state intrusion on local control–but no one should feel secure those promises are real if there are $200 million or more in unspecified cuts yet to come.

Unfortunately, this is the story of the Republican budget process this year: fiscal irresponsibility and intellectual dishonesty. There are ways to support public education, health care, the environment, local communities and shared economic prosperity without the Republican slash-and-burn approach–but Republicans have fallen down on the job, while also failing to responsibly address the budget hole they themselves have created.

To get breaking news about fast-moving developments in between our weekly updates, sign up for Legislative Alerts.

AT THE STATEHOUSE: BUDGET VOTES

Last week, a House committee adopted a long list of amendments to the two-year state budget, modifying the Governor’s plan in several ways:

eliminates Kasich’s tax policy changes

adds funding to combat the addiction crisis

generates new Lottery revenue at the racetracks

In addition to funding changes, the GOP-dominated committee additionally put new rules on the Medicaid program, requiring most expansion recipients to satisfy a work requirement in order to stay enrolled.

One thing the House amendments did not include was enough revenue or cuts to bring the measure into balance after lagging state tax collections led Governor Kasich to announce the plan is $800 million short of being paid for. After a likely vote on the House floor tomorrow at 11am, the House will send the plan to their Senate counterparts to bring it into balance.

IN COMMITTEE

Key activities happening elsewhere at the Statehouse:

Tomorrow, the Senate Judiciary Committee holds its third hearing on SB4, a bill to allow victims of human trafficking to have their criminal charges expunged.

On Wednesday, the House Health Committee will hold a second hearing on HB149, a proposal to strengthen laws against “abortion remains trafficking,” something even the bill sponsors admit has never been proven to occur.

Also happening: on Tuesday at 11am, charter school proponents will rally on the Statehouse lawn; on Wednesday at 1pm, pro-choice advocates will hold a press conference on the Statehouse steps.

Tomorrow the Ohio House is set to vote to advance the budget without having found sufficient revenue to replace the shortfall. Call your state representative at 1-800-282-0253 and ask them to vote NO on any budget proposal that is out of balance, and tell them to fix the broken tax policies that got us into this mess.

Stay tuned for our updates on social media (Twitter and Facebook) throughout the week for budget developments.

Did you know? Legislative committee websites post copies of all testimony that has been offered on pending legislation. They are also where to find contact information for the committee chair–the good person to call when a bill you’re interested in isn’t advancing, when you want to ask about testifying, or to get added to a committee’s email list. <

Congress is moving forward with the deceptively-named Working Families Flexibility Act (H.R. 1180/S. 801), which would result in the loss of overtime pay for millions of Americans. Tomorrow, the bill will head to the House Education and Workforce Committee for mark up and vote – and we need your help to stop it in its tracks!

The legislation has been touted as a proposal that would “help” workers by allowing them to bank overtime hours instead of receiving pay. In reality, it would result in a pay cut without any guarantee of flexibility or time off.

For example: under this bill, you could work extra hours and sacrifice time with your family to accrue leave for an upcoming surgery, but your employer has the right to deny your request no matter how much extra time you worked and saved.

Too many American workers are already struggling to meet the demands of work and family. Instead of improving working conditions, the Working Families Flexibility Act would only give workers less flexibility, less time, and less pay.

TAKE ACTION

Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to be connected with your member of Congress, and tell them that a vote for the smoke-and-mirrors proposal known as the Working Families Flexibility Act is a vote against working families. Tell them to vote NO on H.R.1180/S. 801.With your help, we will continue to push for legislation at the local, state, and federal level that will help working families. Tell your lawmakers right now that we need truly fair and family friendly policies – not ones that would do more harm than good.

Here are some resources to help you understand what the bill would mean for working families:

The Working Families Flexibility Act Will Hurt Women and Families (read more)

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is visiting Van Wert’s public schools on Thursday. As DeVos is one of the nation’s top proponents of school choice options like charter schools and vouchers, it is important for the people of the City and County of Van Wert to understand just how much these options have hurt the overwhelming percentage of children who attend the local public schools in Van Wert County.

Since the 2012-2013 school year, $3,744,988 in state funding originally meant for the children attending Van Wert County’s local public schools has instead gone to privately run brick and mortar and online charter schools, which generally perform worse on state metrics than Van Wert schools do.

Because the amount the state spend on charter schools is so much greater than the state provides to Van Wert’s local public schools, local taxpayers in Van Wert (which include income taxpayers in some of the districts), have had to subsidize these larger state payments to charter schools to the tune of $1.4 million – money that should have supplemented the larger state aid amount but is now being used to subsidize poorer performing, privately run charter schools.

Overall, the vast majority of funding to charters from Van Wert County schools comes from Van Wert City Schools. More than 3 out of 4 charter dollars sent from Van Wert County schools comes from its city schools. However, it remains significant that nearly $500,000 has gone to charters from Lincolnview and nearly $400,000 from Crestview.

As if on cue, local property taxpayers in Van Wert County schools are paying $3 million more in property taxes in 2015 (the most recent available data from the Ohio Department of Taxation) than they did in 2013, which is increasing those communities’ reliance on property taxes to pay for education – a result deemed unconstitutional four times by the Ohio Supreme Court.

We were so busy yesterday hosting an inspiring Citizen Lobby Day at the Statehouse, we didn’t even have time to announce something really exciting that we’ve been working on.

Since the election–particularly since Ohio’s lame duck Legislature passed two new restrictions on women’s reproductive rights, and bills to allow guns in preschools and banning local minimum wage increases–we’ve been asked repeatedly: “how do I find out what they’re up to at the Statehouse and do something about it?”

More recently, we were inspired by the incredible response to the launch of the Indivisible Guide, a simple strategy to resist the Trump agenda developed by former Congressional staffers.

Today we are thrilled to announce the launch of The Ohio Resistance Guide, a handbook for activists on how to influence lawmakers at the Ohio Statehouse. The 5-chapter guide lays out the main differences between Congress and the Ohio Legislature, identifying key tools and tactics for monitoring and influencing legislation. It also features a shout-out from the Indivisible Team.

Read the guide online or download a copy at OhioResistanceGuide.com. You’ll automatically be signed up for email updates when future updates and new features are added.

]]>http://innovationohio.org/state-budget/feed/0State of the State in Sanduskyhttp://innovationohio.org/2017/04/04/state-of-the-state-in-sandusky/
http://innovationohio.org/2017/04/04/state-of-the-state-in-sandusky/#respondTue, 04 Apr 2017 16:44:22 +0000http://innovationohio.org/?p=14350

As we approach Governor Kasich’s seventh State of the State address, Innovation Ohio is continuing its tradition of taking a close look at the community the speech will be given in to see how it has fared under the Governor’s policies.

To get breaking news about fast-moving developments in between our weekly updates, sign up for Legislative Alerts.

AT THE STATEHOUSE

The House Public Utilities Committee will vote on HB114, legislation to convert the state’s renewable energy and efficiency standards into voluntary goals. The bill would benefit the state’s electric utilities, and last week committee members heard from supporters from the coal and utility industry, as well as dozens of opponents including Ohio Advanced Energy Economy, the Ohio Environmental Council and Whirlpool. Read testimony from the March 21 hearing.

The state budget (HB49) is back in the full Finance committee this week. All testimony will be heard on aspects of the Governor’s proposed budget.

Citizen Statehouse Lobby Day

Next Wednesday, April 5, we are hosting a day of citizen training and lobbying which will feature an opportunity to testify on the state budget. If you’re interested in participating in lobby day, sign up with Progress Ohio. To volunteer to testify on the budget, sign up here and we’ll help guide you through the process and be with you on Wednesday.

TAKE ACTION

After just two hearings and only one opportunity for public testimony, the Ohio House is rushing to pass HB114, legislation to roll back Ohio’s renewable energy and efficiency standards. The proposal represents the fifth attempt by opponents of renewable energy and efficiency standards to roll back the bipartisan 2008 legislation, the most recent of which was vetoed by Governor Kasich.

The legislation threatens not only our environment and climate, but also Ohio’s advanced energy industry. Some facts to consider:

The Public Utilities Commission estimates the state standards contribute just $.29 to the monthly utility bill of the average Ohio consumer

The law has resulted in more than 3,000 jobs and $900 million in investment in Ohio’s wind energy industry; the state has 62 active wind power manufacturing facilities, more than any other state. (source)

If your representative is a member of the Public Utilities Committee, be sure to call before today’s 3pm hearing. All other Representatives need to hear from constituents before they vote in House Session, Thursday at 11am.

Three proposals of note get a first hearing this week

On Tuesday, the House Criminal Justice committee will hear about HB97, legislation that would close Ohio’s legal loophole that permits spousal rape under certain circumstances.

Also on Tuesday, the Senate Health, Human Services & Medicaid Committee will hear testimony on SB99, a bill to stop enrolling new Medicaid patients under expanded eligibility rules of the Affordable Care Act if the Congress acts on current proposals to reduce federal reimbursements.

The House Public Utilities Committee holds its second hearing Tuesday on HB114, a proposal to again unwind the state’s renewable energy and efficiency targets, which only recently returned to force thanks to a veto by Governor Kasich during the lame duck session. The legislation is on the fast track in the House, and the hearing will feature both proponent and opponent testimony.

TAKE ACTION

In Congress, the House of Representatives are planning to vote on the Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act on Thursday, which also happens to be the 7 year anniversary of the ACA.

Between now and Thursday, reach out to your member of Congress and urge them to go back to the drawing board and come up with a plan that actually covers people. Here’s some of our recent analysis to help you make your case:

AHCA will result in higher insurance costs for Ohio seniors (read more)

Cuts to Medicaid could eliminate treatment for over 200,000 Ohioans struggling with addiction (read more)

Two resolutions are moving quickly through the Ohio legislature that should make Ohioans and lawmakers very nervous. The measures (HJR2 and SJR1) call for the Congress to hold a convention to propose new amendments to the Constitution. Like similar measures adopted or pending in other states, the resolutions call for Convention attendees to adopt Amendments requiring a balanced federal budget, Congressional term limits and a reduction in federal authority without specifying what that might actually mean.

The Article V approach to amending the U.S Constitution has never been tried before. Article V is vague on questions including procedure, scope, organization, and delegate selection. Numerous commentators predict a “runaway” convention that could significantly alter the freedoms and protections contained in our Country’s most sacred document.

An analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities makes the case for how the process could quickly spiral out of control as delegates, bound to no one and writing their own rules, could propose amendments with only a simple majority. In short, the 26 least populous states representing just 18 percent of the U.S. population, could approve an amendment for ratification.

Even the late Justice Antonin Scalia opposed the idea:

Ohio proposals could be “disastrous”

Like the ancient Trojan Horse, this assault is hidden by the seemingly populist messages of ‘balanced budget’ and ‘term limits,’ but in reality, represents an attempt to significantly change our nation’s founding document, potentially bringing about disastrous ramifications.

-State Representative David Leland (D-Columbus)

It’s always tempting to dismiss these kind of radical proposals as inconsequential or unattainable, but given today’s political climate, this bill should be taken seriously. And, because it involves the Constitution of the United States, puts at risk the very freedoms we all take for granted.

Both resolutions are are on the fast track in the Statehouse, but there is still opportunity for public input. HJR 2 will be heard in the House Federalism and Interstate Relations Committeeon Tuesday at 4pm in Statehouse Room 115. SJR1 will be heard — and is flagged for a possible committee vote — in the Senate Government Oversight and Reform Committee on Wednesday at 10am in the Senate North Hearing Room. Members of the public are encouraged to attend, and if you wish to testify, contact the chair of the committee at least 24 hours in advance to submit an electronic copy of testimony and a witness slip.

Now is the time to make your voice heard, before it is too late. Our country’s founding principles are at stake.

New Analysis Shows Women Would be Hardest Hit Under GOP Healthcare Plan

For Immediate Release:March 16, 2017

COLUMBUS – Women would suffer the most under the GOP’s Obamacare replacement plan, according to a new analysis by the Women’s Public Policy Network (WPPN) of Ohio.

Dr. Anita Somani, an obstetrician-gynecologist and the president of the Columbus Medical Association, agreed with the analysis and said many of the increased health risks would come from the plan’s call to defund Planned Parenthood.

“By defunding Planned Parenthood, the proposal would limit care and contraception – especially in underserved areas,’’ she said. “This will cause an increase in HIV rates and unintended pregnancies. This already happened in Indiana and Texas.’’

Indiana’s GOP-led state legislature was among the first to declare war against Planned Parenthood in 2011 when it passed a bill to cut off money to the popular family planning provider because some of its clinics offer abortion services. A federal judge later blocked the law from taking effect but the state’s continued cuts to Planned Parenthood left many rural regions without an HIV testing center, prompting an exploding HIV outbreak. Texas saw a similar public health crisis.

Under the Obamacare replacement, called the American Health Care Act, low-income women, women of color and women living in rural areas would be hardest hit because they tend to rely more heavily on Planned Parenthood for their reproductive care, according to WPPN.

Deep, permanent cuts to Medicaid and the elimination of Medicaid expansion would threaten coverage for the millions of low-income women and families, pregnant women, women with disabilities, and elderly women that depend on the program for coverage. These cuts would shift costs to the states, likely leading to more limited eligibility for enrollment and cuts to coverage benefits. Women of color would be disproportionately impacted by these cuts as black women and Latina women are more likely than white women to be insured through Medicaid.

The House GOP bill would jeopardize the Essential Health Benefits (EHB) standard provided under the ACA, which has made groundbreaking advancements for women in healthcare such as guaranteed maternity coverage. The EHB would “sunset” by 2020, meaning that it would be left up to states to decide whether or not insurers are required to cover these services. Without the EHB standards, women would be forced to pay out-of-pocket for maternity care, potentially costing them thousands of dollars to deliver a child.

Women may be forced to pay out-of-pocket for mental health treatment or substance abuse services. As the new proposal would phase out both Medicaid and eliminate the guaranteed Essential Health Benefits (EHB) standard which includes mental health services and substance abuse treatment, many women would no longer be covered for everything from opioid addiction to depression. These individuals would now be forced to pay out-of-pocket to treat any mental health or substance abuse issues.

Expanded restrictions on abortion coverage for both public and private insurance plans could potentially dismantle insurance coverage for abortion. Insurance coverage for abortion already faces dangerous restrictions, but the House GOP bill would create further barriers to accessing.. abortion coverage. Women would no longer be able to use tax credits to purchase insurance plans that cover abortion, with exceptions for rape, incest, or life of the pregnant person. The loss of tax credits to afford policies covering abortion would make them too expensive for many individuals and businesses. This cost-prohibitive provision would then drastically shrink access women have to abortion coverage, or possibly even lead to insurance providers completely dropping abortion coverage from their plans. It would cause women to have to either buy an unsubsidized, far more expensive plan or purchase a separate “rider” on their healthcare plan for abortion coverage.

“As anti-choice members of Congress and the Trump administration are stepping up their assault on abortion rights, they are simultaneously crafting policies to block access to family planning services,’’ noted NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio Executive Director Kellie Copeland. “Local health departments and federally qualified health centers have said they are not equipped to provide care to the people who will lose their insurance coverage if the ACA is repealed and the contraceptive mandate is reversed. Women of color, young women, and low-income people will be most seriously harmed by this dangerous political agenda.”

Experts also insisted that the proposed changes would undercut Ohio efforts to lower the state’s shamefully high infant mortality rate.

“The passage of S. B. 332 provided important education on safe-spacing and long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) to ensure women are safely getting pregnant when they and their bodies are ready,” Tavares said. “The changes proposed in the AHCA would drastically undercut our efforts to reduce infant deaths and post-partum depression.”

Although some causes of infant death are unknown, access to prenatal care and proper spacing between pregnancies are proven ways to improve maternal health and lower infant mortality. While calling for defunding Planned Parenthood and proposing drastic cuts to Medicaid, which would force the state to make benefit cuts or reductions in eligibility, Trumpcare would reduce access to the very programs that are essential to combat infant mortality.

According to the Ohio Department of Health, 7.2 of every 1,000 babies born died before their first birthdays. The numbers are even more chilling for black infants, who died at a rate of 15.1 per thousand live births — nearly three times the rate of white babies.

The Ohio Women’s Public Policy Network (WPPN) is a coalition un-like any other group in the state. Formed in 2015 and convened by Innovation Ohio Education Fund, the WPPN pulls together 25 key advocacy organizations focused on promoting policies that create economic security for women and strengthen Ohio families.

Speaker of the Ohio House, Cliff Rosenberger represents rural Clinton County in Southwestern Ohio, which was the subject of a front page feature in the New York Times earlier this week about the state’s addiction crisis and its dramatic impact on Ohio communities.

Yesterday, in a Statehouse hearing, the father of an addicted daughter testified about the importance of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act in saving his daughter’s life:

In the end my daughter is alive today because of the Affordable Care Act. She has access to Medicaid under the Medicaid expansion and is therefore able to receive the Vivitrol shot which blocks opiate receptors in the brain. This shot save Leah’s life. Of the recipients in Ohio 92% get this shot through Medicaid. Stop Medicaid expansion and the death toll will skyrocket. My daughter has access to mental health counseling and gets her medication because of Medicaid expansion and the ACA. She and most others would not be able to afford these lifesaving services without the Medicaid expansion.

Expanded Medicaid plays a huge role in fighting Ohio’s addiction epidemic. Another recent report showed that fully half of Ohioans taking buprenorphine, another treatment medication, are doing so thanks to Medicaid coverage.

The GOP plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act currently pending in Congress features sharp cuts in Medicaid, which the Center for Community Solutions projects could lead to a $2.4 billion shortfall in the law’s first two years. Given that looming budget hole, combined with revenue shortfalls the state is already experiencing after years of aggressive tax cuts, can Speaker Rosenberger and his caucus put together a budget package that ensures the state can continue to save the lives of Ohioans suffering from addiction?

As Ohio’s budget process for 2018-2019 continues, advocates and activists must insist that Rosenberger and fellow lawmakers prepare contingency plans for the possibility of the AHCA becoming the law, perhaps by rolling back some of the tax cuts on the very wealthy and instead directing those funds to help people–like his Clinton County neighbors–who most need it.

Two resolutions (HJR2 and SJR1) that call for a constitutional convention to enact a federal balanced budget amendment get hearings in committee this week. View full House and Senate committee schedules.

State Budget (HB49) deliberations continue in the House, with multiple subcommittees holding hearings:

Members of the public are welcome to testify in committees. Click on the name of the committee to view meeting agendas, which include the locations, start time, and instructions for submitting a copy of your testimony in advance.

TAKE ACTION

Support the Affordable Care Act

State lawmakers in Columbus have drafted competing resolutions urging the state’s Congressional delegation to fully repeal the Affordable Care Act (HCR6, sponsored by Reps. Goodman and Faber), or, alternatively, to preserve the ACA (HCR5, sponsored by Rep. Sykes).Contact your State Representative and ask them to support HCR5 and oppose HCR6.

]]>http://innovationohio.org/2017/03/13/statehouse-preview-week-of-march-13/feed/0GOP Health Bill Could Put Care Out of Reach for People Over 50http://innovationohio.org/2017/03/10/gop-health-bill-could-put-care-out-of-reach-for-people-over-50/
http://innovationohio.org/2017/03/10/gop-health-bill-could-put-care-out-of-reach-for-people-over-50/#respondFri, 10 Mar 2017 20:38:53 +0000http://innovationohio.org/?p=14005

The Republican proposal to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act is widely expected to result in less coverage, weaker protections and higher costs for nearly all consumers, but the group that would be hit the hardest is older Ohioans.

While the legislation provides $600 billion in tax cuts directed mostly at the wealthiest Americans and corporations, it is paid for by dramatically reducing the amount of tax credits available to people purchasing insurance on health insurance exchanges. The plan also makes steep cuts to Medicaid, which benefits millions of seniors.

Here’s how the Republican plan would hurt older people and seniors, according to AARP:

The tax credit changes will “dramatically increase premium costs” for older consumers, up to $8,400,

Creates an “age tax, in which insurance companies would be allowed to charge older people 5x as much as younger consumers pay, compared 3x under the ACA.

“Weakens Medicare” by eliminating tax revenue that currently keeps the Medicare trust fund solvent through 2028.

The Congressional Budget Office has yet to “score” the bill, or determine how many Americans will lose coverage or how the legislation will affect the national deficit, but it is already clear that people at lower income levels, including many seniors, will see financial help for the cost of insurance greatly decreased.

Here’s how much a 60-yr old Ohioan in each of Ohio’s 88 counties would lose in tax credits under the proposal, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation comparison of current Affordable Care Act tax credits vs. tax credits made available in the Republican health repeal bill:

Yesterday, House Republicans took a first step in advancing their healthcare reform plan that experts say would gut the Affordable Care Act and slash Medicaid. The goal is to rush the plan through before lawmakers’ spring break on April 8. One House committee — with yes votes from Ohio Reps. Tiberi and Renacci — adopted half of the plan. Today, another committee continues work on the other core component of the repeal.

Since it was released yesterday, initial analysis of the legislation suggests that it could result in over a million Ohioans losing healthcare coverage thanks to the elimination of subsidies, a dramatic rise in insurance costs as healthy people leave the market thanks to the elimination of purchase mandates, and major cuts to the Medicaid program. As a result of lower coverage levels, the Ohio Hospital Association says1 in 4 Ohio hospitals could close.

The Congressional Budget Office has not yet “scored” the bill – a process that would estimate its impact on the federal deficit and on the number of Americans with healthcare coverage.

Two Ohio representatives sit on the committee that is considering the bill today:

Congressman Latta (District 5) – (202) 225-6405

Congressman Johnson (District 6) – (202) 225-5705

If you live in District 5 or 6, call your Representative today and ask them not to vote without a CBO score and vote no if Ohioans will lose coverage.

Today, House Republicans are moving a step closer to advancing their healthcare reform plan that experts say would gut the Affordable Care Act and slash Medicaid. The plan is to rush the legislation through prior to lawmakers’ spring break on April 8.

Since it was released yesterday, initial analysis of the legislation suggests that it could result in over a million Ohioans losing healthcare coverage thanks to the elimination of subsidies, a dramatic rise in insurance costs as healthy people leave the market thanks to the elimination of purchase mandates, and major cuts to the Medicaid program. As a result of lower coverage levels, the Ohio Hospital Association says1 in 4 Ohio hospitals could close.

The Congressional Budget Office has not yet “scored” the bill – a process that would estimate its impact on the federal deficit and on the number of Americans with healthcare coverage.

Four Ohio representatives sit on the two committees that are considering the bills this week:

Congressman Latta (District 5) – (202) 225-6405

Congressman Johnson (District 6) – (202) 225-5705

Congressman Tiberi (District 12) – (202) 225-5355

Congressman Renacci (District 16) – (202) 225-3876

If your representative is listed, call and ask them to refuse to vote without a CBO score and vote no if CBO analysis finds that anyone will lose coverage.

In partnership with the Women’s Public Policy Network, we are tracking the progress of any state bills affecting women in the Ohio Legislature for the 132nd General Assembly. Here’s a quick overview of some key updates from the last few weeks:

HB 56 – This bill would allow for the expungement of criminal records for victims of human trafficking. It is scheduled for its first hearing in the House Criminal Justice Committee next Tuesday at 1:30 PM in Statehouse Room 114.

SB 7 – Aiming to strengthen protection orders for victims of domestic violence, it received its second hearing this week. The House Local Government, Public Safety & Veteran Affairs Committee will hold a third hearing – with possible amendments and vote – next Tuesday at 10:30 AM in the South Hearing Room.

SB 28 – A medically unnecessary bill that would require aborted fetal remains be cremated or buried, received its first hearing in the Senate Government Oversight & Reform Committee two weeks ago.

We are also share timely legislative updates on these and other women-centric legislation on Twitter using the #OHLeg hashtag. Follow us to stay up-to-date on what’s happening at the Statehouse.

Yesterday, the Ohio House voted overwhelmingly to pass legislation to address a loophole in current Ohio law by allowing victims of dating violence to obtain civil protection orders against their attackers. Today, such orders are only available to victims who are spouses, living as spouses or share a child in common. This leaves thousands of Ohioans without protection because, as noted by Phyllis Riehm of ACTION Ohio in testimony, 48.6% of women killed by intimate partners were killed by dating partners.

The bipartisan legislation was sponsored by Emilia Sykes (D-Akron) and Nathan Manning (R-N. Ridgeville). In an emotional speech on the house floor, Sykes recalled the story of a young Akron woman who recently lost her life to a dating partner and appealed to her colleagues:

I hope that you will stand with me in supporting House Bill 1, to support victims of dating violence across the state and ensure that no one has to bury a child, no one has to bury their mother, no one has to bury a friend because the state has done absolutely everything that we could to protect victims of dating violence.

Despite having 65 sponsors or cosponsors, the legislation did meet with some opposition. Two members — Republicans Tom Brinkman and Nino Vitale — voted against the measure. The bill now goes to the Ohio Senate.

When the federal government re-authorized the Every Student Succeeds Act (formerly known as No Child Left Behind) in 2015, the hallmark of the law was the freedom it granted states to develop their own accountability systems, among other things. This meant that for the first time in two decades, states could actually reduce the reliance on test scores to drive evaluations of schools, districts and even teachers.

During the intervening year plus, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) has held town hall-type meetings around the state, as well as an online survey. The major takeaways from the surveys and input was simple: fewer tests, stop changing the testing regime every year, and more state resources for teachers and support staff. This test focus reflected the fact that only 8% of respondents thought that standardized test scores were the most important measure of student success. About 58% felt that goal-based measures would be a better method.

Given this backdrop, folks in the field were stunned that, when the draft report came out, they learned ODE had proposed to keep the same level of testing. As Akron-area superintendents put it in their protest letter, “we are alarmed that the feedback gathered during these stakeholder meetings does not appear to have been included in Ohio’s plan.” They and others want the state to adopt the minimum testing required under ESSA authorization — reading and math testing for 3-8 grades, and science in 5-8. That would reduce the amount of testing from the current 31 tests to 20, or 21 if the ACT is required.

Instead, ODE has reasoned that keeping the same number of tests is keeping in line with the feedback they received that told them to stop changing tests each year — the last three years, the state has required a different state test each year, thanks to legislative meddling.

There are other concerns the superintendents voiced, including eliminating student testing as a teacher evaluation tool, investing more in pre-K education and wraparound services. But it is the testing concern that has driven the strong reaction to Ohio’s ESSA plan.

Take Action

Tomorrow, the Joint Education Oversight Committee will hold a hearing on the draft plan. The hearing is open to the public, and public testimony is welcome (details below). Or, you can submit your comments online.

Statehouse Preview is a new service from Innovation Ohio. To receive alerts about breaking news at the Ohio Statehouse, sign up for our Legislative News email list.

[UPDATE: Since initial publication, the House cancelled its Tuesday hearing on the Pastor Protection Act.]

AT THE STATEHOUSE

The Joint Education Oversight Committee will hold a hearing on Thursday at 2:30 pm in the Senate South Hearing Room on Ohio’s State Plan for the Every Student Succeeds Act. ESSA gave states latitude to reduce the amount of testing required, a move endorsed by thousands of parents and educators. The state draft plan, however, retains the maximum testing requirement. To testify on the draft plan, contact the committee at 614-466-9082, or submit your comments online.

The House Economic Development, Commerce & Labor Committee will tomorrow hold its third hearing on HB2, a bill rolling back protections against employment discrimination.

Amendments to HB36, the so-called Pastor Protection Act, are expected tomorrow before the House Community and Family Advancement Committee votes to advance the measure at its Tuesday hearing at 3pm (Statehouse Room 018).

HB1, a bipartisan measure that extends domestic violence protections to dating partners, advanced out of committee and will get a vote on the House floor tomorrow.

HB26, the state’s two-year transportation budget, goes to the full House for a vote this week, after which it moves to the Senate. Democratic amendments to increase funding for public transportation failed in committee last week. The bill gets its first hearing in the Senate tomorrow at 9am.

Subcommittee testimony continues on HB49, the state budget. Subcommittees will hear testimony from Departments including Development, Agriculture, Developmental Disabilities, Education, EPA, Health, Mental Health & Addiction as well as on sales tax provisions in the Governor’s proposal. View the House committee schedule for details.

HB36, which supporters claim will allow ministers to refuse to perform any marriage they disagree with, something they are already able to do under existing law — will likely emerge out of committee tomorrow and could go to the full House for a vote as early as Wednesday saw its hearing this week canceled, but the measure could come back at any time. Learn more and take action.

]]>http://innovationohio.org/2017/02/27/statehouse-preview-week-of-february-27/feed/0Repealing the ACA would be disastrous, particularly for women. Here’s how to push back.http://innovationohio.org/2017/02/22/pushing-back-on-the-efforts-to-repeal-the-affordable-care-act-aca/
http://innovationohio.org/2017/02/22/pushing-back-on-the-efforts-to-repeal-the-affordable-care-act-aca/#respondWed, 22 Feb 2017 20:22:39 +0000http://innovationohio.org/?p=13802

As Republican members of Congress continue to push forward with their plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – also known as Obamacare – there has been push back from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, advocacy groups, medical experts, and concerned citizens. The threat of a repeal is fueling many to get informed about the potential impacts of the repeal, add their voice to the conversation, and stay engaged about ways to advocate for the protection of the ACA.

The repeal of the ACA would jeopardize healthcare for nearly 1 million Ohioans, and women would be hit particularly hard by the loss of the healthcare law. Before the ACA, women regularly faced discrimination in the health care industry in coverage, in pricing, and in access to care. The Ohio Women’s Public Policy Network (WPPN) – a coalition we convene of nearly 25 advocacy organizations focused on advancing policies that benefit women and families – recently released an ACA Fact Sheet to show what is at stake for women if the ACA is repealed, and provided action steps that advocates can take to help push back on the repeal efforts.

This week, as Congress is on recess and members are returning home to their districts, the debate over the ACA repeal has taken center stage here in Ohio and in states across the country. There have been calls for Congress members to host town halls so that constituents have an opportunity to voice their concerns with the repeal, learn more about what a replacement plan would look like, and share stories about how they have benefited from the ACA.

However, many Republican lawmakers have dodged these requests for constituent input on the matter of the ACA repeal, including Ohio’s Senator Rob Portman and Representatives Pat Tiberi and Steve Stivers. And while these members of Congress have failed to answer the call for town halls, constituents and advocacy organizations have taken it upon themselves to host their own town hall style meetings and community forums to provide a voice for those concerned with the consequences of repealing the ACA without a better replacement. Join the efforts by finding an event near you here.

Here are 5 other resources to get informed, add your voice, and stay engaged:

1.) Sign up for Women’s Public Policy Network emails for alerts on ACA repeal and other legislative issues impacting women and families.

It’s a short week with the President’s Day holiday, but there’s still plenty going on.

OHIO

The House Economic Development, Commerce & Labor Committee will hold a second hearing for supporters of HB2, a bill rolling back protections against employment discrimination.

Despite hearing hours of impassioned testimony from members of clergy opposed to HB36, the so-called Pastor Protection Act, the House Community and Family Advancement Committee is likely to vote to advance the proposal at its Tuesday hearing at 9am. The measure could be up for a vote in the full House as early as Wednesday. Sign up to receive alerts on this and other important legislative developments as they happen.

HB1, a bipartisan measure that extends domestic violence protections to dating partners, has a committee vote scheduled in the House Civil Justice committee, which meets Wednesday at 4pm.

Budget hearings continue on the state’s transportation budget, which will get its first round of amendments this week and a final vote in the House Finance committee on Thursday 2/23.

IN CONGRESS

Our Congressional delegation is back in Ohio as Congress takes a week-long recess, and many members will be attending (or avoiding) town hall meetings in their districts. Find out if there is an event taking place near you. Bring a copy of our ACA fact sheet to talk about what’s at stake for women if the ACA is repealed.

TRUMP

The administration’s revised executive order on the immigration ban may drop at any time. It still includes the same countries, but exempts green card holders.

Deportation raids are increasing and it appears that the crackdown will continue to escalate. Homeland Sec. Kelly signed a memo authorizing the hiring of 10,000 more enforcement agents.

TAKE ACTION

The Ohio House is currently reviewing Governor Kasich’s two-year budget proposal and need to hear from their constituents. This week, One Ohio Now asks Ohioans to write a letter to the editor of their local paper to ask lawmakers to prioritize community needs in the budget process.

Ohio Advocates Opposing Puzder for Labor Secretary Say Trump Has Betrayed Working People with Pick, Call for Rejection of Nominee by Senate

Nominee’s record as fast food CEO stands in contrast to Trump’s campaign pledges

(Columbus, OH) – At a press conference in Columbus, Ohio this morning, a group of advocates for workers and women called on Senator Rob Portman to oppose Donald Trump’s pick of Andrew Puzder for labor secretary, citing the nominee’s abhorrent record as CEO of a fast food corporation.

“Donald Trump made a lot of promises to working people in the election last year,” said Ohio AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Petee Talley. “He promised to help the forgotten men and women in our economy, but Trump’s nomination of Andrew Puzder to be secretary of labor betrays those promises in very blatant ways,” she said.

Citing Puzder’s record as the CEO of CKE Restaurants as well as his public statements, Talley said Puzder has “a callous disregard for the welfare of workers” and that his nomination is a “slap in the face to working people everywhere.”

Hannah Halbert, policy analyst at Policy Matters Ohio, a non-profit policy research institute, argued that his confirmation as labor secretary would be a dangerous development for Ohio working people. “Andrew Puzder as labor secretary would be the proverbial fox guarding the hen-house. Wage and hour violations were found at over half of Department of Labor investigations of restaurants his company runs,” said Halbert. “Working people need and deserve a labor secretary who will focus on worker health, safety and advancement, not the extremist agenda of irresponsible corporate employers,” she said.

Erin Ryan of the Ohio Women’s Public Policy Network, a coalition of women’s advocacy organizations focused on promoting policies that create economic security for women, said that Ohio women have much to be concerned about with Puzder’s nomination. “Making up two-thirds of the low-wage workforce, women would be disproportionately impacted by Puzder’s stances opposing commonsense, family-friendly workplace policies,” she asserted. “Working women deserve a labor secretary that will be their champion and defend their rights in the workplace. Andrew Puzder is not that person, and he should not be confirmed by the Senate,” said Ryan.

A hearing is planned on Puzder’s nomination for tomorrow in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee.

Last month, Ohio Gov. John Kasich unveiled his last two-year budget proposal, featuring another large cut in the state income tax — $3.1 billion — paid for with new and increased taxes on everyday purchases like cable TV subscriptions, beer, wine, and increased taxation of oil and gas extraction.

This is not the first time Kasich has proposed cutting the state income tax  the states most progressive tax. The tax is designed so those at the top income level pay the highest rate. The states estate tax on inherited wealth was eliminated completely in the Governors first budget.

Over the past 12 years, Ohio has already reduced tax collections by over $3 billion thanks to repeated cuts to the income tax. Taxpayers in the top 1% of income-earners are keeping an additional $17,500 in their bank accounts every year as a result of Kasich tax policy, and his latest proposal would bring that annual benefit to over $20,000. While $20,000 is still not enough to create one good-paying job, even if you believed thats how the money would be spent, it is foregone revenue to the state that could be investing it in priorities that really matter.

People with low-incomes spend much of their income on things that are taxed. As a result, they pay a much larger share of their income on taxes in states with regressive tax systems that rely heavily on sales taxes to fund state spending. According to the Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy, the poorest 20% of Ohioans pay nearly 12 percent of their income on state and local taxes, compared to just 5.5% paid by the top 1%.

We crunched the numbers, and heres how dramatic the shift has been over the span of the four Kasich budgets:

Combined, the states income and estate taxes have declined from about 46% of state general revenue to just under 30%. At the same time, sales taxes have increased from 43% to over 50%, now picking up the largest share of the cost of state government.

Happy Monday! It looks to be a busy week at the Ohio Statehouse, with continued hearings on the state budget (see our coverage of that here) while committees work to advance a range of important–and in some cases, dangerous—legislation.

Here are a few things to watch this week and a call to action:

Budget hearings continue this week. The state transportation budget takes center stage, while committees get to work on hearings about state agency funding requests. We continue to encourage you to call your State Representative and let them know which critical needs the state should be funding instead of $3.1 billion in income tax cuts that primarily benefit the wealthy.

The House has put House Bill 36, the so-called “Pastor Protection Act” on the fast-track for passage. HB36 supporters claim the bill will “protect pastors and churches” from participating in any marriage to which they have a religious objection. While there is no evidence that any member of clergy has ever been forced to perform a wedding against their will–both the Ohio and US Constitution already grant this type of religious freedom–the sponsor says the bill is necessary to avoid the hypothetical possibility of lawsuits. Opponents have noted that the bill’s very broad language could have unintended consequences leading to further discrimination.
On Wednesday, the Community and Family Advancement Committee will hold what may be the only hearing featuring testimony from opponents. Anyone wishing to speak against HB36 must submit written testimony by 4pm Tuesday to the Chair’s office. The hearing will be held in Room 114 of the Statehouse, and is open to the public.

Call to Action

Call Speaker Rosenberger and your State Representative at 1-800-282-0253 and ask them to oppose HB 36, legislation which is unnecessary and could have harmful unintended consequences.

Attend the hearing on Wednesday at 4 in room 114 to send a strong message of opposition.

If you are a faith leader, testify in committee or send a statement by 4pm Tuesday to Rep05@ohiohouse.gov.

State Representative Bill Seitz has introduced House Bill 2, which would limit legal remedies for Ohioans experiencing employment discrimination. Among its provisions, HB2 prohibits lawsuits against individual managers and company officials who engage in sexual harassment, discrimination or retaliation. Taking individual employees off the hook could render Ohio’s anti-discrimination law completely unenforceable. The bill will be heard Tuesday at 1:30 in the House Civil Justice Committee.

On Wednesday, Sen Uecker will testify on Senate Bill 28, his proposal to mandate cremation or burial of aborted fetal remains. The bill is a response to a [bogus] video alleged to show Planned Parenthood engaging in the sale of fetal remains, something that investigations—including one by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine—found to be untrue. This unnecessary and costly requirement would be another in a long list of efforts to create undue burdens on women exercising their constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy. SB28 gets its first hearing in the Senate Government Oversight & Reform committee on Wednesday at 9:45 a.m.
In more encouraging news, House Bill 1, a bipartisan proposal to address disparities in the handling of domestic violence cases involving unmarried intimate partners, will also be heard in committee this week. HB1 would allow victims of dating violence to seek court-issued protection orders and access to shelter facilities. The hearing takes place on Wednesday at 4pm in the House Civil Justice Committee.

Advocates across Ohio were pleased last week to learn that Governor Kasich’s proposed two-year state budget would preserve the expansion of Medicaid, a partnership with the federal government under the Affordable Care Act that has provided health benefits to over 700,000 Ohioans. When combined with subsidies to pay for private health insurance plans through the insurance exchanges, $535 million has been added to the budgets of Ohio families since the law was enacted while the state’s uninsured rate has dropped from 11 percent to just 6.5 percent of Ohioans.

According to Bloomberg, without the ACA, Ohio stands to lose $3.5 billion in federal funding in 2019, an enormous new hole in a state budget that is already tight. Absent a continuation of the federal healthcare law, the damage to Ohio budgets only increases from there. By 2028, Ohio could lose over $42 billion in federal funding if the law is repealed, according to Policy Matters Ohio. That is in addition to the $billions in losses that could be expected at Ohio’s hospitals as a result of repeal leaving fewer patients able to pay.

Questions for administration officials

What steps has the administration taken to work with Ohio’s Congressional delegation and federal officials to convey the urgency for Ohio’s budget, and the need to preserve coverage for 700,000 Ohioans?

If federal support for expanded Medicaid coverage is reduced or eliminated in repeal efforts, would Ohio cut benefits or eligibility for Medicaid as a result? If so, how?

If you believe that Medicaid expansion is a net positive for the state, will the administration seek a repeal of the proposed tax cuts in this budget in order to make up for the shortfall? What other backup plans are in place to address the risk from ACA repeal to a balanced budget?

Ohio hospitals could lose as much as $15 billion by 2028, if the ACA is repealed (Policy Matters estimate) and Ohio’s uninsured rate begins to climb. Are Ohio hospitals at risk of closing if the ACA is repealed? Which ones?

What’s Next?

Want to do your part to advocate for budget policies that actually help? Here are a few things you can do today:

]]>http://innovationohio.org/2017/02/07/budget-ignores-looming-threat-of-obamacare-repeal/feed/024 years later, it’s time for the next step beyond the FMLA: paid leavehttp://innovationohio.org/2017/02/07/24-years-later-its-time-for-the-next-step-beyond-the-fmla-paid-leave/
http://innovationohio.org/2017/02/07/24-years-later-its-time-for-the-next-step-beyond-the-fmla-paid-leave/#respondTue, 07 Feb 2017 19:46:10 +0000http://innovationohio.org/?p=13671

This past Sunday marked the 24th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The passage of which now provides most American workers with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job protected leave per year to care for an aging or ill family member, bond with or care for a newborn or adopted child, or address one’s own health issue.

While the FMLA was a landmark piece of legislation in addressing the duel demands of work and family responsibilities, it falls short of providing many working families with the kind of leave they really need: paid leave. The United States is the only developed nation without some form of guaranteed paid leave, meaning that for those that do not have access to a paid leave policy through their employer are forced to choose between a paycheck and caring for a loved one.

Innovation Ohio has been a leading force behind the campaign for paid leave in Ohio. After releasing a report on the state of paid leave and benefits of the policy for women, families, employers, and local communities in May of 2015, we worked with the elected officials in Dayton, Cincinnati, and Summit County to enact Ohio’s first municipal paid parental leave policies and continue to work with local elected leaders across the state to advance the policy at the local level in Ohio. The village of Newburgh Heights, Ohio also made national news by passing the most progressive paid leave policy; providing men and women access to 6 months of 100% paid time off following the birth or adoption of a child.

After this wave of support at the local level, we worked alongside state lawmakers to introduce legislation for a state-wide paid family and medical leave program for the first time in Ohio’s history. Last year, we brought together these local and state lawmakers, paid leave experts, and family advocates for a Department of Labor #LeadonLeave Roundtable featuring Labor Secretary Tom Perez where we discussed the growing support for paid leave among workers, businesses, and elected officials on both sides of the aisle and ways that we could move the policy forward at the local and state level.

From the conversations we have with business leaders and elected officials, to new policy wins at the local level, to the continued release of new evidence pointing to the overwhelming benefits of the policy, and to each opportunity we have to lift up this policy among our networks, all of our work on this issue has added to the groundswell that will evenutally lead to the passage of a federal paid leave policy. Today, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D – N.Y.) and Representative Rosa DeLauro (D – Conn.) brought our country one step closer to providing the kind of policy working families want, need, and deserve by re-introducing national paid family and medical leave legislation called the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act (FAMILY Act).

Only 14% of US workers have access to paid family leave, but there is momentum growing across the country for a national policy. It’s time that we take the next step beyond unpaid leave provided by the FMLA, and bring access to a leave policy that works for all working families by passing a national paid leave policy that is affordable, inclusive, substantial, comprehensive, and secure. The FAMILY Act checks all of those boxes, and is exactly the kind of policy that we need to provide support to working families struggling to balance responsibilities at home and in the workplace.

Add your voice: Join paid leave advocates today, February 7th at 2:00 PM for a twitter storm to celebrate the 24th anniversary of the FMLA, and call for a national paid leave policy. Use #FMLA24 to join the conversation.

Stay engaged: Sign up for our policy alerts to stay informed and engaged about efforts happening here in Ohio to advance paid leave and other family-friendly legislation.

It’s been 20 years since the Ohio Supreme Court first ruled that Ohio’s school funding system was unconstitutional because it didn’t adequately calculate the cost of schooling Ohio children, and relied too much on local property taxes. Since Gov. Kasich took office, the local-state funding disparity has grown after years of shrinking and was even wiped out the year before he took office.

Local property taxpayers are now paying more than ever before to fund our kids’ education – the exact opposite of what the Ohio Supreme Court ruled the state needed to do 20 years ago.

Gov. John Kasich’s proposed budget continues to exacerbate the unconstitutional nature of our state’s funding system and we don’t know the full potential cost to kids in our local school districts[1]. Despite that, district by district estimates show that Kasich plans to remove money in vast swaths from kids in Ohio’s most rural, poor districts – 83 percent of whom would be cut under this budget – and give increases to suburban and urban districts.

Removing even a little bit of state revenue from rural districts can cause great hardship for those kids because they cannot raise local revenue in the amounts that urban and suburban districts can. For example, the districts receiving flat funding or increases in Kasich’s budget can raise property taxes at 116 percent the rate of districts that received cuts.

Here are 5 questions we’d like to see administration officials answer during tomorrow’s education funding hearing:

How will this budget reduce reliance on property taxes to pay for our kids’ education in all districts, as the Ohio Supreme Court ordered us to do 20 years ago?

Why weren’t the cuts to tangible personal property tax reimbursements or any potential increases to charters and vouchers included in the district by district estimates?

Why do 83 percent of Ohio’s rural school districts receive cuts?

Why was the state guarantee eliminated if population drops 5 percent? Isn’t that awfully low considering a 5 percent drop, especially in smaller districts, might only be a handful of students, which would have a minimal impact on school staffing and infrastructure?

Why was ability to pay such an important factor in Local Government Funding, but ability to pay seems to not governing the funding going to our 1.8 million school children?

[1] We have yet to learn how Kasich’s decision to cut the state’s tangible personal property tax reimbursement by another 1/3 and any potential increases to privatization options, which also remove state money from kids in local public schools

Every two years, Ohio’s Governor introduces budget legislation that sets funding levels for every state agency and program, but the document is far more than just an allocation of money. The budget is loaded with policy and law changes that can meaningfully impact people all across the state. Sometimes those changes can be harmful. In recent years, we’ve seen amendments to the budget to suppress student voting, limit women’s reproductive choices, and to continue to make Ohio’s tax code more regressive.

This year, Innovation Ohio hopes to empower and enlist constituents from across the state to watch the budget, and speak out to your representatives about programs and services that are vital for your family, friends and communities.

Over the next several weeks, members of the Ohio House of Representatives will hold hearings on all aspects of the budget. Then they will add a multitude of amendments before sending it to the Ohio Senate for further consideration and modification.

To stay informed, sign up for our budget emails, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. We’ll let you know how you can be a champion for a budget that works for all Ohioans.

This week we got our first look at Governor Kasich’s final two-year budget. Budgets, which govern all state spending for two years, are one of the main ways the executive sets forth his or her priorities for governing. These massive proposals contain not just funding for programs and services, they include a wide array of changes in law.

On the whole, Kasich’s budget is decidedly lacking in bold investments. The one objective the Governor appears to have prioritized was further lowering the state’s income tax rates. But while the Governor found billions for a tax cut that primarily benefits the wealthy, no similar investment was proposed to solve the state’s many crippling problems, such as our opioid crisis, crumbling infrastructure and schools.

$3.1 Billion Tax Plan

Kasich’s plan would cut income tax rates across the board and reduce the number of tax brackets. As a result, people making $200,000 and those making $1 million would pay the same tax rate — 4.33%. To cover the $3.1 billion expense, Ohio’s sales tax, oil & gas severance tax, cigarette tax, and beer and wine taxes will go up, and Ohioans will be asked to pay new taxes on cable subscriptions, yard work and home redecorating, among other things. The Dispatchestimates the average Ohioan would pay $4 less as a result of the changes, but the burden of paying for government programs will continue its shift from rich to poor.

EDITORIAL OPINION

What’s Next?

Today the Governor’s budget proposal goes before the House Finance Committee, who will spend the next month or two holding hearings and making changes before it goes to the Senate.

TAKE ACTION

Want to do your part to advocate for budget policies that actually help? Here are a few things you can do today:

Read the budget materials released by the administration.Watch testimony by Budget Director Tim Keen, today at 1pm on OhioChannel.org.Call the office of House Finance Committee Chair Ryan Smith at (614) 466-1366 and ask to received email notifications when Finance committee hearings are scheduled.Contact your State Representative and let them know what priorities they should fund instead of providing another income tax cut that mainly helps the rich.Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

]]>http://innovationohio.org/2017/02/03/io-on-the-budget-kasich-budget-reveals-misplaced-priorities/feed/0IO on the Budget: About that $200 Million for Schools…http://innovationohio.org/2017/02/02/io-on-the-budget-about-that-200-million-for-schools/
http://innovationohio.org/2017/02/02/io-on-the-budget-about-that-200-million-for-schools/#respondThu, 02 Feb 2017 17:41:20 +0000http://innovationohio.org/?p=13599

Amid much fanfare, Gov. John Kasich announced this week that his just-introduced budget provides a $200 million increase to Ohio’s schools. However, as with most plans, the devil is in the details. That’s because Kasich rarely gives additional money to schools. As we have learned with past budgets, funding increases are often offset by cuts elsewhere in the budget.

Once again, in the latest budget, we see multiple instances of this practice. For instance, when Kasich claims unprecedented levels of funding for schools, he is only talking about one line item in the budget — the state foundation line. However, he has all but eliminated a different line item — reimbursement for the loss of tangible personal property tax levy proceeds once enjoyed by school districts. Prior to his administration, TPP reimbursements provided more than $1 billion a year to schools. In this budget, they are less than a fifth of prior funding levels.

TPP replacement funding to schools has declined from over $1 billion to less than $200,000 under Kasich

Indeed, the same holds true for other cuts in the budget, which combined more than erase the much-touted $200 million increase. Below are 8 line items in the budget that amount to a $227 million cut to schools:

Total of 8 statewide education cuts that effectively offset Governor Kasich’s $200 million increase to school foundation funding.

Separately, Kasich promises to phase out “guarantees,” or funding to districts based on past levels, protecting districts from funding losses when enrollment shrinks. Depending how the policy is implemented, this change could mean more than half of all Ohio school districts will see reductions in direct aid, disproportionately impacting low-wealth districts.

We have that analysis to look forward to later this week when the Ohio Department of Education provides district-level information on funding for schools.

Take Action

Want to do your part to advocate for school funding policies that actually help? Here are a few things you can do today:

Bill Analysis: This bill would authorize the issuance of dating violence protection orders, provide access to domestic violence shelters for dating violence victims, and require the Attorney General’s victims’ bill of rights pamphlet to add a line indicating that petitioners alleging dating violence have the right to petition for a civil rights protection.

Speculation is swirling in the hours leading up to Governor Kasich’s introduction of the state’s FY18-19 budget. That’s because budgets are important—they set funding and policy priorities for the next two years that have significant impacts on real people and on the state as a whole.

While Gov. Kasich used to tout an “Ohio Miracle,” last month he declared “we’re on the verge of a recession in our state.”

Kasich is right—six years into his administration, Ohio is lagging and our rankings are sinking. So how did we botch the “Ohio Miracle” he promised us? The answer lies in past budget decisions:

Stalled growth in our cities: Kasich’s budgets have eliminated essential funding to Ohio’s cities by over $1 billion. This is at the same time cities are fighting on the front lines of Ohio’s opioid addiction crisis. We all know that weaker cities mean a weaker state economy. To reverse course, Kasich must stop undermining our cities, further prolonging Ohio’s recovery.

Cut education funding and oversaw a decline in Ohio’s education quality: Governor Kasich’s first budget cut $1.8 billion from K-12 education, and after six years of Kasich budgets, Ohio’s local property taxpayers were forced to pay more for education now than they ever have. Unsurprisingly, at the same time the state share of education funding declines and more state money is invested in failing charter schools, Ohio’s national education ranking has dropped to new lows. When Kasich took office, Ohio was rated 5th in the nation for quality by Education Week. Today, Ohio ranks 22nd. Kasich can prioritize our children’s education or continue to pass the buck, further tanking our quality of education and our national rankings.

Shifted the tax burden to poorer Ohioans: Kasich has recently said he would like to continue to lower the income tax and pay for it by raising the sales tax. While we don’t know the details yet, he has done this before and as a result less well-off Ohioans are paying more of their paychecks in taxes while the wealthiest are paying less. This undermines economic growth and job creation.

Kasich’s final budget is his opportunity to either get us back on track and rescue us from his self-inflicted “recession” or double-double down on what has contributed to the botching of the Ohio miracle. Ohioans are still looking for the miracle.

On Monday, Governor Kasich will unveil his last two-year budget proposal. While details are not yet available, Kasich has said he would like to continue to lower the income tax, paid for by raising the sales tax.

If Kasich moves in this direction, it would not be the first time he has proposed cutting the income tax — the state’s most progressive tax, designed so those at the top pay the highest rate — and paying for it with increases in the highly regressive sales tax.

Why are sales taxes regressive? People with low-incomes spend much of their income on things that are taxed. As a result, they pay a much larger share of their income on taxes in states with regressive tax systems that rely heavily on sales taxes to fund state spending. According to the Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy, the poorest 20% of Ohioans pay nearly 12 percent of their income on state and local taxes, compared to just 5.5% paid by the top 1%.

We crunched the numbers, and here’s how dramatic the shift has been in just six years:
Since Kasich took office, the two lines — representing the share of the total cost of funding state government programs — have crossed paths, with the amount contributed via progressive income taxes declining from 44% to 35%. At the same time, regressive sales taxes have steadily increased, from 43 to 46%, and now pick up the largest share of the cost of state government programs.

We’ll be back here Monday with a first look at the Kasich budget for fiscal years 2018-2019.

The evidence is clear that the more and better educated a state’s population, the more healthy and prosperous our state will become. Yet, over the last six years, thanks to moves by Governor Kasich and state legislators, the State has consistently cut funding to local public schools while increasing funding to worse performing, privately run options, all while overseeing a precipitous drop in national education rankings. All while local property taxes are $1 billion more today than six years ago.

As we await the release of Governor Kasich’s budget proposal Monday, we reflect on these recent trends and maintain our hope Ohio will reinvest in education to create a better future for our kids and communities.

Past Budgets: Cuts are Cuts

Ohio has struggled with education funding since the 1990s, with four rulings by the Ohio Supreme Court that the way Ohio funds its schools is unconstitutional, primarily because the funding scheme is not based on actual costs and relies too much on property taxes to pay for it.

Governor Kasich’s first budget in 2011 cut $1.8 billion from K-12 education, a loss that was not fully restored until 2015, but there remain winners and losers, namely:

Children in 110 districts have less funding in the 2016-2017 school year than they did in 2014-2015.

Children in 317 districts will receive less than they did in the 2010-2011 school year, adjusted for inflation

Meanwhile, Ohio’s nationally ridiculed charter school system has continued raking in the dough – each year receiving more state funding than the year before.

Charters put additional strain on children in local school districts because, when state funding is transferred from a local district along with a student, 92 percent of districts have been forced to find local revenue to replace it. And spending for the state’s private school voucher programs has exploded at an even greater rate, further eroding the state funding left for kids in local public schools.

Current Challenges: Local Property Taxpayers Stand For Kids

Facing historic state cuts, Ohio’s local property taxpayers stood up admirably to fill the void. After six years of Kasich budgets, Ohio’s property taxpayers are paying more for education now than they ever have, with the average owner of a $100,000 home now paying nearly $1,200 a year in property taxes – a 22 percent jump from 10 years ago.

This increase in local funding means that Ohio property taxpayers are paying $1 billion more for their children’s education today than they did the year before Kasich took office. Remember the Ohio Supreme Court ruled four times that relying too much on property taxes to pay for schools violated the state Constitution … 20 years ago.

Unsurprisingly, at the same time, Ohio’s national ranking has dropped to new lows. In 2010, Ohio was rated 5th in the nation for quality by Education Week. Today, Ohio ranks 22nd.

What’s Next: Will Local Taxpayers Have To Keep Paying For State Failures?

Going into the next two-year budget, Kasich is warning the state is on the brink of a “recession” as tax collections dwindle, thanks in no small part to his addiction to tax cuts that primarily benefit the wealthy and well-connected.

Will that mean less revenue to children in Ohio’s school districts? Gov. Kasich has already told his department heads to prepare to once again reduce budgets. In addition, he has promised to eliminate funding guarantees and caps in the state’s funding formula. Eliminating those tend to help kids in wealthier districts and hurt kids in districts losing students, which tend to be lower-income communities.

Will Kasich and his allies will finally develop a funding formula that is based on the costs of providing a world-class education to Ohio’s 1.8 million students, and commit to relieving the burden of funding it currently overborne by local taxpayers? Will they find a way to fund Ohio’s many privatization options without fundamentally hurting children whose parents do not choose those mostly worse-performing options.

Until the state fulfills its constitutional obligation to properly and adequately fund our children’s education, it is difficult to see the state leading the world into a new century of prosperity.

Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger recently announced the leaders for the House’s 21 standing committees. Female representatives will head just two.

Leaders of the Ohio House of Representatives’ 21 Standing Committees for 2017-2018

The leaders of the committees have a substantial amount of agency when it comes to which bills are heard and voted on. It is important that these leaders represent the diversity of Ohio’s population, but have historically failed to do so.

Of the 42 committee Chair and Vice Chair positions in the current legislative cycle, just 19 percent are women. A startling 2 out of 21 committee chair positions—less than ten percent—are women.

Of the ten other House leadership positions, there are just four women compared to three for the 131st cycle. While this is a step in the right direction, women are still underrepresented in the state government (25 of 99 representatives are women) compared to Ohio’s general population—51 percent[1].

In the last session of the general assembly, there were 31 bills brought to the House on issues that affect women. It is important that women are well represented as leaders in legislative committees to support gender-equality in the legislature and across the state.

Our state is only as strong as our cities and local communities. Yet, over the last six years, thanks to moves by Governor Kasich and state legislators, the State has cut or eliminated essential funding to cities by over $1 billion.

As we await the release of Governor Kasich’s budget proposal next week, we are watching to see whether this trend will continue, or if state leaders will reinvest in cities to help fight the heroin epidemic and build a stronger economy.

PAST BUDGETS: CITIES HAVE BEEN CUT 4 DIFFERENT WAYS

Nearly one-third of all Ohioans live in Ohio’s 30 largest cities, and over 90 percent of state GDP is generated in Ohio’s 11 largest metro regions. Yet, among the most significant budget trends over the last six years has been the state’s massive divestment from Ohio’s cities and local communities.

The primary revenue sharing program for cities and local communities is the Local Government Fund (LGF), which is based on a percentage of the state’s general revenue. In 2011, that percentage was cut in half from 3.33 to 1.66 percent, reducing LGF funds to communities from $695 million to $349 million beginning in 2011 (source: spread sheet on LGF Distributions).

The largest 30 cities in Ohio have lost an estimated $107 million a year in LGF cuts, but these cuts are not the only cities have faced.

During this same timeframe, the state also eliminated the estate tax, costing the top 30 cities $59 million a year on average.

The state ended a tax reimbursements (TPP and KWH) promised when the state eliminated major local business taxes in 2005, which has resulted in an estimated $32 million a year.

And lastly, cities are still estimating the impacts of the recent passage of House Bill 5, but one estimate suggests that cities could lose as much as $17 million a year.

CURRENT CHALLENGES: ON THE FRONT LINES OF JOB CREATION AND PUBLIC SAFTEY

Facing this budget pressure as result of state cuts, local communities are faced with a choice of cutting services or raising local taxes. In 2016, 4 of Ohio’s largest cities were forced to ask voters to increase the local income tax rate.

At the same time, cities are fighting on the front lines of Ohio’s opioid addiction crisis. Three of Ohio’s largest cities among the top 10 in terms of drug fatalities nationwide (Dayton, Cincinnati, Toledo). Statewide, in 2014 Ohio tallied more deaths due to drug overdoses than any state but California. The costs to city are diverse and significant. Here are a few examples of how the opioid crisis is hurting our cities:

Middletown estimates that $1.5 million of its annual budget went to fighting the problem.

Cities train & equip first responders to administer Naloxone. Columbus Fire used $150,000 of the drug in one year & announced it will be stocked on police patrols.

Municipal Courts are establishing special dockets to deal with drug cases, though some have been shuttered due to budget pressures.

Health departments are seeing more Hepatitis C, which can cost $100,000/person to treat; many cities are looking at needle exchanges like the $300,000 effort in Columbus

WHAT’S NEXT: MORE CUTS TO COME?

Going into the next biennium, lawmakers are faced with the loss of nearly $600 million in sales tax revenue on Medicaid managed care providers, thanks to a federal ruling that the tax was improperly applied. In addition to losses at the state and county level, the state’s 8 regional mass transit systems will lose a combined $40 million. Governor Kasich has indicated that any replacement included in his budget will be temporary, likely dealing another blow to Ohio’s already underfunded transit systems, which provide access to jobs for many urban residents.

Cities can be engines of economic growth, but that growth will be short-changed if the state continues to underinvest. As we look towards the next state operating budget, let’s hope that state rethinks its important partnership with cities and local communities.

Columbus, Ohio– With HHS Director nominee Tom Price’s hearing scheduled for today, Innovation Ohio is calling for a delay in the hearing until the U.S. Senate holds a proper investigation into Price’s misconduct in response to the new reports that the Georgia Congressman “traded more than $300,000 in shares of health-related companies over the past four years while sponsoring and advocating legislation that potentially could affect those companies’ stocks.”

Janetta King, CEO, Innovation Ohio: “Tom Price has already been shown to be too dangerous and extreme of a pick for HHS Secretary, and now it appears he may be too corrupt as well. We know that if confirmed, Price would work to take away health care from 30 million Americans and replace Medicare with a voucher system that would skyrocket seniors’ health costs. But the recent reports concerning Price’s introduction of legislation that would directly benefit his medical stock investments now calls his ethics into question, not just his extreme agenda that would undermine America’s health security. We don’t need an HHS director that puts his personal wealth above the health needs of the American people.

“The accusations of insider trading are too serious to be overlooked, and should be afforded serious scrutiny before his hearing begins,” added Ms. King.

]]>http://innovationohio.org/2017/01/24/io-calls-for-delay-of-tom-prices-hearing-for-hhs-secretary-amid-accusations/feed/0Keeping the momentum after the Women’s March on Washingtonhttp://innovationohio.org/2017/01/19/keeping-the-momentum-after-the-womens-march-on-washington/
http://innovationohio.org/2017/01/19/keeping-the-momentum-after-the-womens-march-on-washington/#respondThu, 19 Jan 2017 21:50:17 +0000http://innovationohio.org/?p=13416

Last summer, we announced the formation of the Women’s Public Policy Network with the release of a Legislative Scorecard to measure progress made by the 131st General Assembly to advance our policy agenda. Today, ahead of the Women’s March on Washington, we released a final, updated Scorecard reflecting activity that occurred during the final weeks of the “lame duck” legislative session.

While we hoped the Lame Duck legislature would finish work on pending legislation to improve the lives of women and families, unfortunately that opportunity was missed and, instead, lawmakers set back the cause in several policy areas. Below are the highlights from the updated Scorecard:

Of the 22 policy goals outlined in the Scorecard, over two-thirds failed to score above a ‘D’ grade, and not a single policy goal earned an ‘A’

Despite the start of positive steps forward for women in this legislative session, little or nothing was done by the legislature to actually give traction to proactive bills, earning ‘D’ scores for 11 policy goals

3 policy goals had scores move in the wrong direction, dropping from ‘D’ grades to ‘F’ grades upon passage of SB 331 during lame duck, which included last-minute amendments added to prohibit cities from enacting minimum wage, worker benefits, or scheduling protections that go beyond state or federal set levels.

Lawmakers continued to advance legislation that restricts access to reproductive healthcare services: passing 2 unconstitutional abortion bans out of both chambers and earning 3 of the policy goals dealing with women’s healthcare ‘F’ scores

While the 6-week abortion ban, known as the ‘Heartbeat Bill’, was line-item vetoed by the Governor from the language of a bill it was added to as an amendment, a 20-week abortion ban with no expectations for rape, incest, or fetal anomalies was passed out of both chambers and eventually signed into law by the Governor

State lawmakers cited the incoming presidential administration and the promise of a new Supreme Court as the primary reason that they were emboldened to advance these abortion bans

Meanwhile, a number of proposals to restore access to reproductive health services (HB132, HB356, HB357, HB370, HB376, HB408, and SB101) were introduced in the legislature, but only three bills received one committee hearing each, and none made it out of committee

The only ‘C’ grade was earned by the policy goal dealing with protections against discrimination on the basis of pregnancy or caregiver status: Senate Bill 301, which would provide basic accommodations for pregnant women in the workplace, received 4 committee hearings resulting in a substitute version of the bill being introduced during lame duck, but ultimately did not end up advancing out of committee

There was a concerted effort to advance bills supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence earlier in the session, earning ‘B’ scores for the three policy goals relate to this issue

However, stating that a bill strengthening protection orders for victims of domestic violence (SB 76) was ‘too complicated’ to take up during lame duck after an amendment was added to extend domestic violence protections to intimate partners, the Ohio Senate failed to formally pass the legislation; leaving it as a high priority for next session

It’s even more important now for Ohioans to stay engaged, and the Women’s Public Policy Network can be a vital resource to stay in-the-know about what’s happening on the federal level, but – more importantly – on the state and local levels where we can make the most direct impact. Together, we can hold state lawmakers accountable for their actions through tools such as our Legislative Scorecard. Be sure to sign-up for the Women’s Public Policy Network email alerts to stay up-to-date on legislative updates and calls to action here.

COLUMBUS – As thousands of Ohioans participate in the Women’s March on Washington and sister marches across the state, the Women’s Public Policy Network called for Ohioans to stay involved after the weekend is over. The coalition of over 20 advocacy organizations, focused on advancing positive policy solutions for women and families, highlighted the hub of resources and advocacy opportunities they provide, including their newly-updated Women’s Economic Security Legislative Scorecard for Ohio’s 131st General Assembly.

“We have to work together to ensure that the momentum to advance progress for women does not stop with the marches,” said Erin Ryan, manager of the coalition. “We want Ohioans to stay engaged, and we urge people to use us as a resource to stay in-the-know about what’s happening on the federal level, but – more importantly – on the state and local levels where we can make the most direct impact. Together, we can hold state lawmakers accountable for their actions through tools such as our Legislative Scorecard.”

The Scorecard evaluates the progress that the Ohio General Assembly has made to accomplish or impede the advancement of women throughout the state.

Of the 22 policy goals outlined in the Scorecard, over two-thirds failed to score above a ‘D’ grade, and not a single policy goal earned an ‘A.’ In fact, the only scores to change on the final version of the Scorecard, moved in the wrong direction as three policy goals dropped from ‘D’ grades to ‘F’ grades upon passage of a bill with last-minute amendments added to prohibit cities from enacting minimum wage, worker benefits, or scheduling protections that go beyond state or federal set levels.

“As state lawmakers reconvened in December for the final weeks of session, we hoped that they would focus on advancing bills to improve the lives of women and families here in Ohio,” said Nichole Dunn, President and CEO of the Women’s Fund of Central Ohio. “Instead, the ‘lame duck’ session further demonstrated the missed opportunity of the 131st General Assembly. These are bills that affect women right here, right now in Ohio. If we stand together in the future, we can make Ohio a better place for women and families.”

There was a concerted effort to advance bills supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence earlier in the session, earning ‘B’ scores for the three policy goals relate to this issue. However, stating that a bill strengthening protection orders for victims of domestic violence was ‘too complicated’ to take up during lame duck after an amendment was added to extend domestic violence protections to intimate partners, the Ohio Senate failed to formally pass the legislation; leaving it as a high priority for next session.

“Despite the start of positive steps forward for women in this legislative session, little was done by the legislature to actually give traction to these bills,” explained Ryan. “Instead, lawmakers narrowed their focus and hastily advanced two unconstitutional abortion bans in the final days of session.”

While the 6-week abortion ban, known as the ‘Heartbeat Bill’, was line-item vetoed by the Governor from the language of a bill it was added to as an amendment, a 20-week abortion ban with no expectations for rape, incest, or fetal anomalies was passed out of both chambers and eventually signed into law by the Governor. State lawmakers cited the incoming presidential administration and the promise of a new Supreme Court as the primary reason that they were emboldened to advance these abortion bans.

An earlier version of the Scorecard for the 131st General Assembly was published by the group last June as the legislature went on summer recess to demonstrate the progress made before the ‘lame duck’ session.

The Ohio Women’s Public Policy Network is a coalition convened by Innovation Ohio Education Fund un-like any other group in the state. Pulling together over 20 key advocacy organizations from across the state focused on promoting policies that create economic security for women and strengthen Ohio families.

During President Barack Obama’s Farewell Address on Tuesday evening, he highlighted one of the most important pillars of our American democracy: civic engagement. He spoke of the need for citizens to take part in the democratic process by engaging in real, substantive conversations about issues with those that may disagree with us, participating in organizing efforts to fix a problem in our community, or even running for office ourselves.

Reminiscing on his time organizing with faith groups in Chicago when he was in his 20s, President Obama shared that, “this is where I learned that change only happens when ordinary people get involved, get engaged, and come together to demand it.” These words especially resonated with me as a new presidential administration – one which threatens the equal rights of women, minorities, immigrants, the LGBTQ community, and other marginalized groups – will enter the White House in the coming days.

Those concerned with how to continue to advance progress and change for women under this new administration can do just as a young Barack Obama and organizers in Chicago took part in all those years ago: get involved, get engaged, come together and march. Around the Inauguration, tens of thousands of advocates, allies, organizers, and concerned citizens will mobilize for a Women’s March on Washington or join Sister Marches in cities across the nation. Marchers will demonstrate with a collective voice that they plan to work together to move change for women in the right direction and demand that women’s rights are not left behind under the new administration.

You can get involved in one of the marches too, and become one of those engaged citizens President Obama underscored as a necessity to the future of our democracy. Here’s the information you need to participate in a Women’s March:

The momentum from this movement cannot stop at the conclusion of these marches. We must remain engaged and active around policies and legislation in Ohio and DC that impact women. Sign up for Innovation Ohio’s alerts:

Last week, Ohio legislators demanded that President-Elect Donald J. Trump’s pick for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, repay an historically massive Ohio Elections Commission fine her advocacy group had levied against it in 2008.

The OEC, which is made up of equal parts Republicans and Democrats, voted unanimously in 2008 to fine All Children Matter PAC $5.2 million for “laundering” campaign money for Ohio’s Charter School Godfather, David Brennan, among others.

How did this work? Well, back in 2006, it was a pre-Citizens United world where PACs had to adhere to different spending limits and different rules in different states. Brennan, whose political largess in Ohio is legendary, was struggling to get his candidates elected in 2006 because the Republican flag-bearer, Bob Taft, was polling below 10% approval — the worst polling numbers ever recorded for a sitting Governor.

So he hatched a scheme to funnel $870,000 into Ohio Republican coffers. And he went to All Children Matter PAC — a group formed by Betsy and Richard DeVos to push for more charter schools and vouchers — to do it. The PAC was registered in Virginia, which in 2006 had no campaign spending limits. So the Virginia PAC took $200,000 from Brennan and shipped another $670,000 to its unregistered Ohio PAC.

Who got the money? According to the Columbus Dispatch, “a number of Ohio Republican statewide and legislative candidates, both though individual donations — such as $10,000 each to Speaker Jon Husted and gubernatorial candidate J. Kenneth Blackwell — and campaign advertising for candidates including Rep. Kevin Bacon, R-Minerva Park, and Sen. David Goodman, R-New Albany.”

Blackwell is heading up Trump’s domestic policy transition team.

Here’s a a complete list of all the candidates that received direct contributions from All Children Matter, according to FollowtheMoney.org. You’ll notice a few candidates who are currently serving in various Ohio elected posts, including the sitting Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor, Secretary of State Jon Husted, State Treasurer Josh Mandel, and Senate President Keith Faber.

Trouble for All Children Matter was their Ohio PAC wasn’t registered, and it was a clear money laundering operation. So the commission fined them triple the amount of the illegal spending, which was $2.6 million. They were dinged twice: once for raising the money in Virginia and again for spending it in Ohio. Hence the $5.2 million total fine. The amount has grown, over time, to $5.3 million because part of the fine included a daily, small, accumulating fine.

All Children Matter sued to kill the fine, but lost. In 2012, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine sued to get the money and won, but has yet to collect a single penny. Why?

Because DeVos essentially closed down All Children Matter PAC and opened up the American Federation of Children.

As longtime Director of the OEC Philip Richter put it: “it’s like trying to get blood out of a turnip.”

But that doesn’t mean that appointing Ohio’s greatest political money launderer to the top education post in the country shouldn’t come without a demand that she at least make good on her group’s malfeasance. After all, Richard and Betsy DeVos are worth an estimated $5.1 billion, which would make the $5.3 million Ohio fine worth about 0.1 percent of the couple’s fortune.

Senate Bill 329, a little-noticed bill rushed through the recent lame duck session, could have disastrous consequences if allowed to become law. Without a veto from Governor Kasich, SB 329 would effectively allow for the dissolution of state government departments, potentially throwing thousands out of work and open the door to privatization, while threatening the effective continuation of public services and programs that provide for the state’s economic vitality and competitiveness.

How it Would Work

Under SB329, Gubernatorial Departments would be required to make an affirmative case every four years to justify their continued existence, involving a time- and resource-intensive process. Agencies would be required to review and report on the legal justification of rules and procedures, potential for privatization, conduct a multi-year analysis of cost effectiveness, and benchmark all regulations against other states.

Creates Chaos Not Reform

The extensive reviews mandated for Departments every four years would be time and resource intensive, and duplicate reviews already performed by the Auditor of State, JCARR, and the Governor’s Common Sense Initiative Office.

Nothing in the legislation would eliminate burdensome rules or regulations, it merely provides for the elimination of Departments currently empowered to oversee them.

Without an affirmative act of the legislature to keep departments open, state rules, licenses, and contracts would remain in effect, raising significant questions about how the executive branch could continue to carry out its obligations under Ohio law. The bill permits, but does not require the legislature to transfer these obligations to other departments.

Dangerous

Many programs that Ohioans rely on, including vital education, public safety, and other essential services would be put at risk, with no provisions to ensure these functions continue after closure of a cabinet department.

By closing departments that carry out essential functions, the proposal could put Ohio into conflict with federal requirements, and may violate parts of the state Constitution, such as the obligation to establish and maintain a workers’ compensation program.

By forcing the review of 25 cabinet agencies every four years, the legislation could consume much of the legislature’s oversight capacity and put essential services at the mercy of an already slow legislative process.

Tilts the Balance of Power to One Party, Branch of Government

Empowers the legislative branch by eliminating a future check on its authority by the executive branch; the bill’s automated future elimination of departments by the failure of the legislature to act would provide no opportunity for the executive to exercise its veto authority.

Empowers the majority party to appoint members of standing committees, postpone reviews, and, ultimately, to continue operation of a government department without bipartisan support.

Protects today’s and future legislators from blame by eliminating departments automatically, without an affirmative act of lawmakers required.

Unnecessary and Ineffective

The arguments in favor of the proposal (to review, modernize, and eliminate unnecessary regulation) are all currently served by existing functions of the general assembly;

Meanwhile, the claim that unneeded or overly technical licensing law creates a burden is not served by the legislation which would not eliminate any rules or licenses either in SB 329 or through the expiration of statutes creating Departments.

Represents a Right-Wing Wish List

Without eliminated government departments and staff, executive would have little option other than to employ private contractors to carry out essential health and safety functions (police, fire, etc.).

Elimination of cabinet agencies would reduce the significance of the state as a public sector employer, weaking the power of its employee unions.

The departmental review process emphasizes market-based solutions, such as private credentialing, wherever possible as an alternative to state regulation and licensing.

Straight from the Conservative Playbook. Similar measures have been proposed by right-wing lawmakers in a number of states and in Congress.

First, the bill exempts the state’s 22-highest ranked school districts from requirements including the use of specially-qualified reading teachers to comply with the 3rd Grade Reading Guarantee, teacher licensing rules, and state mandated maximum class sizes. Currently, the Ohio Department of Education limits schools to a maximum 25:1 student-teacher ratio. Under SB3, Ohio’s highest performing school districts could legally operate with unlicensed teachers and 50:1 student-teacher ratios.

The following districts meet the prescribed bill criteria for these exemptions, according to the 2015-2016 state report card. District median income is also included, as well as the statewide median income rank:

With an average income of $57,563, it is clear that these districts are wealthy, at least when compared to the other 589 school districts in Ohio, where the median income is just $33,429. Because student poverty tracks so closely with student performance, it’s equally fair to say that the state is exempting high-wealth school districts from regulation.

Other provisions in SB3 include:

A school or district eligible for performance-based private school vouchers will remain eligible for vouchers through the 2018-2019 school year, even if its performance exceeds any other building or district in the state. Prior to SB3, if a school or district is eligible for vouchers because of poor performance, they would be removed from the voucher-eligibility list if that performance sufficiently improved. No longer.

Allowing charter schools to admit students of school employees over other students, which is a system employed by most private schools, but not at the public schools that charter school proponents claim to be.

Does not provide safe harbor to the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow, so the politically connected but now politically toxic outfit will need to find another way to avoid repayments to the state for the $60 million it was paid to educate students that it cannot prove actually attended.

Eliminates requirement that Ohio Department of Education rate school and district extracurricular activities

Eliminates requirement of sign-off from the local superintendent for homeschool students to be issued a diploma

Limits to 2 percent of school time spent on state assessments, and 1 percent on test preparation

Interestingly, no Ohio charter school would qualify for the exemptions contained in SB3 under the standards listed in the bill. Three charters would qualify under the report card components in which they receive grades, but as none are high schools, they couldn’t meet the high school graduation rate requirements to receive the exemption. There are about 400 charter schools in Ohio.

This years lame duck session provided a whirlwind of activity that saw portions of many bills pushed through without much  if any  public input. Here is a roundup of some of the more consequential bills that saw passage and await action by the Governor.

Expansions to Health Services and Treatment

SB 332  Infant Mortality

This bill implements some of the recommended changes from the Ohio Commission on Infant Mortalitys findings from earlier this year. These changes include a ban on certain crib bumper pads due to a higher risk of suffocation for babies.

SB 319  Opiate Addiction

This bill creates a regulatory structure for registering pharmacy technicians and revises laws around addiction services including allowing for the opening of for-profit methadone clinics.

SB 27  Cancer coverage for firefighters

This bill allows firefighters diagnosed with cancer to receive additional benefits, including funding for medical costs, workers compensation, and survivor benefits for dependents.

Education Deregulation for High Performing Schools

SB 3  Education Deregulation

This bill provides an exemption to high performing schools – currently 18 schools in Ohio – allowing them to have increased class sizes as well as hire individuals who lack a teaching license to teaching positions.

This so-called Christmas Tree Bill combined a host of issues dealing with local control for municipalities. The original piece of the bill prohibits local governments from banning pet stores located in their boundaries from selling puppies procured from harmful breeders.

The wireless carrier portion prohibits local governments from enacting ordinances that would regulate the installation of the new small cell wireless technology on public rights-of-way. Wireless carriers such as AT&T and others may install these cells on existing utility poles without objection from local governments.

Another amendment added to the bill prohibits local governments from enacting minimum wage, worker benefits, and fair-scheduling protections that go beyond state or federal set levels. For instance, Clevelands proposed $15 minimum wage increase is in jeopardy due to this change. This would also prohibit cities from enacting measures requiring employers in their jurisdiction to provide paid family leave policies for their employees.

HB 554  Renewable Energy Freeze

This bill is essentially another postponement of the renewable energy standards enacted with bipartisan support in 2008 requiring Ohio to both produce 12.5% of its power from renewables and reduce statewide energy consumption by 22 % by 2025. Those standards were subsequently frozen by the legislature for two years in 2014. This bill does end the freeze, but instead of reinstituting the original required standards it creates a goals-based approach for the next two years. Enforceable requirements would return in 2019. Should Governor Kasich veto the legislation, the standards would be fully enforceable next year.

This bill was also a Christmas Tree as what was originally a bill to allow local governments to provide property owners with up to a six year tax exemption on increased property values resulting from planned industrial or commercial development saw multiple amendments attached. Some additions included a freeze for unemployment benefits for workers until 2018-2019 while also increasing the taxable wage base for employers from $9000 to $9500, revising pawnbroker regulations, and exempting tangible personal property used in oil and gas manufacturing from the sales and use tax.

Gun Rights Expanded

SB 199  So-called Guns Everywhere bill

This bill as amended expands the locations where individuals with proper permits may bring concealed guns to public universities, day-care facilities, and other public buildings. The bill also exempts active-duty military personnel who have proper firearms training from having to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

Womens Rights Revoked

HB 493  The Heartbeat Bill 6-week abortion ban

This bill bans all abortions after the point at which a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is as early as six weeks and at a time before many women even know that they are pregnant. The bill does not offer exceptions for rape or incest. The Ohio House passed the “Heartbeat Bill” earlier in the summer, but it sat untouched until it was added as a floor amendment in the Senate during the flurry of lame duck. Similar legislation was passed in Arkansas and North Dakota, but was struck down by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals as it directly violates the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. Despite the clear unconstitutionality of the legislation, the bill was still enacted into law.

SB 127  20-week Abortion ban

This bill bans all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy with no exceptions for rape, incest, or health of the woman. The only exception under this bill is for the life of the woman. An amendment to include exceptions for rape and incest was introduced by Rep. Greta Johnson, but was tabled. Rep. Janine Boyd also introduced an amendment that would make an exception if there was a severe fetal anomaly that would affect the viability of the fetus that was rejected by a 54-36 vote. Again, the constitutionality of this bill can be questioned as 20-week bans prevent women from obtaining pre-viability abortions. Additionally, the law could go against the recent Whole Womans Health v. Hellerstedt Supreme Court decision as it would fail the undue burden test.

Government Shutdown

SB 329  State Agency Sunsetting

Under SB 329, departments must make an affirmative case every four years to justify their continued existence. Agencies would be required to review and report on the legal justification of rules and procedures, potential for privatization, conduct a multi-year analysis of cost effectiveness and benchmark all regulations against other states. The bill would effectively allow for the dissolution of state government departments, potentially throwing thousands out of work and open the door to privatization, while threatening the effective continuation of public services and programs that provide for the states economic vitality and competitiveness.

In the final days of the lame-duck session for the 131st General Assembly, two bills restricting abortion access are in danger of being signed into law in Ohio.

The first bill of concern is the “Heartbeat Bill” – legislation that would bans all abortions after the point at which a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is as early as six weeks and at a time before many women even know that they are pregnant. The bill does not offer exceptions for rape or incest.

The Ohio House passed the “Heartbeat Bill” earlier in the summer, but it sat untouched and unlikely to be taken up again by the legislature this session. Similar legislation was passed in Arkansas and North Dakota, but was struck down by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals as it directly violates the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. Despite the clear unconstitutionality of such legislation, it was moved forward unexpectedly in Ohio by Senate Republicans yesterday.

At the last minute, the Senate amended Sub HB 493 – legislation that would update reporting laws for child abuse and neglect – at the last minute to include the six-week abortion ban. The amended bill passed in the Senate by a 21-10 vote. It was sent back to the House for a vote later that evening, and passed by a 56-39 vote.

The bill will now move forward to be signed by Governor Kasich, with option of vetoing the entire bill or using a line-item veto to remove the restriction on abortion access from the bill. Although he had previously stated concern with such a bill as it would be likely found unconstitutional under the current Supreme Court, he has not indicated whether he will sign the bill. If it is signed, it will be the strictest abortion law in the entire country.

The second threat to abortion access is a 20-week abortion ban (Senate Bill 127), which was indicated for some time as a bill that was likely to pass during this lame-duck session. No exceptions for rape, incest, or life of the woman are included in the legislation. Again, the constitutionality of this bill can be questioned as 20-week bans prevent women from obtaining pre-viability abortions. Additionally, the law could go against the recent Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt Supreme Court decision as it would fail the undue burden test.

About 20 minutes before the House was set to convene on Tuesday night, a hearing on SB 127 was added to the schedule for that evening. The bill passed 64-29 in the Ohio House on Thursday night, and will move on to Gov. Kasich to either be signed into law or vetoed.

TAKE ACTION NOW: Call Ohio Gov. John Kasich at (614) 466-3555. Tell him that you strong oppose any abortion bans, and to veto any restrictions to abortion access that pass in the legislature, including a line-item veto of the “Heartbeat Bill” in HB 493 and a veto of the 20-week ban (SB 127).

Today, the Ohio House is moving a bill that radically undermines the notion of local control and ties the hands of communities to set standards for the treatment of workers.

Enshrined into the constitution is a strong commitment to local control, or “home rule”:

Municipalities shall have authority to exercise all powers of local self-government and to adopt and enforce within their limits such local police, sanitary and other similar regulations, as are not in conflict with general laws.

Ohio lawmakers appear ready to throw that notion out the window with the adoption today of a major overhaul to Substitute Senate Bill 311, which would block the authority of communities around Ohio to, among other things:

Regulate the sale of puppies from unlicensed breeders at pet stores

Adopt a minimum wage rate higher than the state minimum

Adopt any ordinance that regulates worker benefits, schedules or work locations.

The bill was originally written when lobbyists for Petland sought to block ordinances adopted in Grove City and Toledo that would crack down on the sale of puppies at pet stores. The fix contains a “hobby breeder” loophole that experts say could be used by unethical breeders to sell their dogs at pet stores.

More recently, the business community jumped in with a wish list of its own, getting the following language added to the bill:

No political subdivision shall establish a minimum wage rate different from the wage rate required under this section.

The move is an attempt to undermine a measure on the ballot in Cleveland that would have asked voters whether to gradually raise that city’s minimum wage, but also blocks any other city from doing so.

And, reacting to a movement from progressive cities around the U.S., special interests saw a measure adopted that would block cities from requiring local employers to provide earned sick time, family leave or regulate practices that require workers to be on call for shifts without pay and by which employers can make last minute scheduling changes that leave workers in the lurch – especially if they need child care or want to hold down a second job. From the proposed amendment:

Except as otherwise expressly provided in state or federal law, the following matters are exclusively the result of an employer’s policy, an agreement between an employer and the employer’s employees, a contract between an employer and the employer’s employees, or a collective bargaining agreement between an employer and the employer’s employees:

(1) The number of hours an employee is required to work or be on call for work;

(2) The time when an employee is required to work or be on call for work;

(3) The location where an employee is required to work;

(4) The amount of notification an employee receives of work schedule assignments or changes to work schedule assignments, including any addition or reduction of hours, cancellation of a shift, or change in the date or time of a work shift;

(5) Minimizing fluctuations in the number of hours an employee is scheduled to work on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis;

(6) Additional payment for reporting time when work is or becomes unavailable, for being on call for work, or for working a split shift;

(7) Whether an employer will provide advance notice of an employee’s initial work or shift schedule, notice of new schedules, or notice of changed schedules, including whether an employer will provide employees with predictive schedules;

(8) Whether an employer will provide additional hours of work to employees the employer currently employs before employing additional workers;

(9) Whether an employer will provide employees with fringe benefits and the type and amount of those benefits.

SB 331 was reported favorably by the House Finance committee this morning, and is expected to be voted on by the full House this afternoon.

Yesterday, IO Policy Director Terra Goodnight spoke to a legislative committee considering changes to Ohio’s unemployment insurance system. On behalf of the Ohio Women’s Public Policy Network, Terra spoke about ways the state program disadvantages women who lose their jobs. Her testimony is below.

I am here today because women have been mostly overlooked in the conversation about reforming Ohio’s Unemployment Compensation system. The program has real problems that go beyond the size of the trust fund, and those shortcomings disproportionately impact women.

Ohio’s unemployment compensation eligibility rules are out of step with our state’s changing workforce. Because these rules favor higher-wage and full-time work, women—who are more likely to work for low-pay or part-time—are less likely to receive benefits than their male counterparts. One recent analysis showed that, over the past decade, women made up over 43 percent of Ohio’s unemployed, but just 36 percent of those receiving unemployment compensation.[1] There are a number of reasons for this gender gap.

First, in order to collect benefits, Ohio requires laid-off workers to have earned a minimum average weekly wage of $243 that would be hard to achieve in many low-paying jobs. Under current rules, a minimum wage worker whose hours fluctuate between 25 and 30 hours a week is ineligible for benefits after becoming unemployed because they fail to take home the required weekly wage. In fact, in accommodations and food services, an industry where 57 percent of the workers are women, the typical worker in 34 Ohio counties earns too little to be eligible for unemployment.[2][3] Women are far more likely than men to work for low pay. Women in Ohio take home, on average, $478 per week – this drops to $410 if they are African American – compared to $710 for men.[4][5]

Even if a part-time worker earns enough to qualify for benefits, if they seek anything less than a full-time job—even one with the exact same schedule as the job they lost—they remain ineligible under another of Ohio’s outdated rules. In Ohio, 43 percent of women work part-time, compared to just 29 percent of men. For many women, including myself, a non-traditional work week is the only way to balance work with the scheduling demands of a family, especially for the one in four Ohio families with children headed by a woman on her own.

We should not preserve a system that discourages non-traditional, pro-family work schedules or that protects only those in high-paying jobs from falling into poverty. Ohio should expand its eligibility calculations to ensure even the lowest-paid workers are eligible for benefits when they lose their job. And Ohio should join the 30 states that currently allow unemployed workers to seek part-time positions and still receive unemployment benefits.

[2] U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2015 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S2403 “Industry By Sex For the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and Over.” November 1, 2016.

[3] Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, “Geographic Cross-Sections: All Counties in a State, One Industry: NAICS 72: Accommodation and Food Services.” November 1, 2016.

[4] U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2015 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table B20017 “Median Earnings In The Past 12 Months (In 2015 Inflation-Adjusted Dollars) By Sex By Work Experience In The Past 12 Months For The Population 16 Years And Over With Earnings In The Past 12 Months” October 1, 2016.

[5] U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2015 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table B20017B “Median Earnings In The Past 12 Months (In 2015 Inflation-Adjusted Dollars) By Sex By Work Experience In The Past 12 Months For The Population 16 Years And Over With Earnings In The Past 12 Months (Black or African American Alone)” October 31, 2016.

The Presidential race has been receiving the bulk of attention, but there are several important local levies on the ballot this year that will have a large effect on the future of these communities. Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Dayton, and Toledo all have vital ballot measures before their citizens. In fact, Ohioans across the state will vote on 27 proposed municipal income tax increases and 150 tax levies regarding public schools this election. Other communities, like Toledo, are facing income tax renewal levies essential to maintaining the current level of provided services.

Cincinnati Public Schools alongside the Pre-School Promise program has placed a levy on the ballot to expand public schools. It would raise $15 million a year for preschools and $33 million a year for Cincinnati’s K-12 public schools. The levy has the support of the United Way who is tasked with managing the pre-school program should it pass.

The proposal would greatly expand preschool in Cincinnati allowing an estimated 80% more children access. It would also allow Cincinnati’s public schools to maintain current levels of service as well as expand the district’s use of technology, college readiness efforts, and overall curriculum.

Cleveland

Cleveland residents will consider two very important levies this November via a proposed income tax increase and a renewal of the city’s public school levy.

The proposed income tax increase would be Cleveland’s first since 1981. Changes in state policy such as cuts to the Local Government Fund, tangible personal property tax, kwh rates, and the elimination of the estate tax have left cities all across Ohio struggling to make up the lost funding. The city of Cleveland has been especially hard hit having lost $42.1 million annually as a result of these changes. In order to close the budget gap, Cleveland has proposed a 0.5% increase to the current 2% income tax rate. Passage of the increase would the allow city to maintain current services and conduct needed road repairs. Should the measure fail, Mayor Jackson has warned that the city would be forced to make $40 million in cuts – mostly to safety services which make up 60% of the budget.

Cleveland Public Schools’ levy is up for renewal. This levy was initially passed in 2012. The increased funding resulting from this levy has led to improved performance in the district. Enrollment is up, graduation rates are up, as well as test scores. Steve Dyer, Innovation Ohio’s Education Policy Fellow recently took an in depth look at the success of Cleveland’s public schools since the passage of the levy. You can read his findings here.

The city of Dayton is also considering an income tax increase. This would raise the income tax by .25% to 2.5% and would be the city’s first such increase since 1984. Dayton is also dealing with the same budgetary challenges as Cleveland and other Ohio cities having lost out on $11.1 million annually due to state policy changes. According to the city, increasing the income tax rate would close the city’s budget gap for next year, fund police and fire services, and allow for universal pre-K for four-year olds citywide.

Nearly a third of the estimated $11 million to be generated as a result of the increase would be earmarked to improve and expand upon the existing pre-school structure in Dayton. According to the organization Learn to Earn, just 14.5% of Dayton kindergarten students tested “ready for kindergarten.” This is significantly below the state average – highlighting the need for more effective pre-K opportunities.

Voters in Columbus will consider a levy for Columbus City Schools. It is a proposed increase of 18% in school taxes for Columbus property owners. This is off the heels of a similar levy that was voted down three years ago. Passage of the levy would allow the district to hire more staff across the board, conduct maintenance and repairs, and increase funds for general operations. Many buildings in the district are in need of repair with reports of 28 buildings having leaky roofs, 15 have electrical issues, and 21 have heating and cooling issues.

The defeat of an income tax increase in this year’s primary has placed Toledo in a precarious position. The defeated proposal would have permanently raised the city’s income tax by 0.25% for the first time since 1982. The increase was slated to pay for much needed infrastructure work in Toledo. This was in part due to Toledo also being affected by the previously mentioned state policy changes. The changes have caused the city to lose $15.8 million annually.

Now instead of trying again for the income tax increase, Toledo voters will vote on renewing 0.75% of its existing income tax rate of 2.25%. Should the increase fail, it would decrease Toledo’s income tax rate by 1/3 starting in 2017. Such a result would place a considerable strain on the city’s budget and result in widespread cutbacks in services.

If you prefer policy to the scandals and conspiracies that have taken center stage in the Presidential race, let’s briefly revisit the recent revelation that Donald Trump was able to avoid paying income tax for nearly two decades. This move was a result of Trump’s taking a $916 million deduction in 1995 for losses from his various businesses.

In yet another example of how the tax code is skewed to favor those at the top, federal tax law allows business owners to subtract what is termed a “Net Operating Loss” (or NOL) from their income when determining tax liability.

Unfortunately, this tax trick isn’t limited to federal taxes. Two years ago, Ohio lawmakers rewrote state law to force Ohio cities to allow the same type of tax break for business owners. The result is that cities, which had already been deeply impacted by state funding cuts, have less revenue to deliver essential services like road repair and public safety.

In late 2014, legislators passed a bill – House Bill 5 – that requires cities to allow individuals who report business income on their personal income taxes to allow the deduction of business losses (NOLs) for up to 5 years. This change impacts 234 cities and villages, reducing the amount of revenue they collect to pay for vital public services and creates a new tax breaks for business owners. Ohio cities must allow a deduction of business losses even if the profits they offset came from wholly separate business. Unlike federal law, salary income cannot be offset by NOLs (bad news for any in-state real estate moguls drawing a big salary from popular reality shows!)

The revenue impact to Ohio cities from the policy is expected to be large. While it is hard to predict the impact of a deduction businesses don’t currently claim, some cities offered estimates at the time of HB5’s consideration. Athens projected losing $60,000 per year; Westerville $300,000; Cleveland said it would cut $3 million. We estimated the statewide impact of the law could be as high as $82 million. Today, a legislative task force is currently working to estimate the impact of the law on cities’ bottom lines, but that didn’t stop lawmakers from enacting it into law.

Proponents of even larger NOL tax breaks are still at it. In late September, a witness argued in a bipartisan committee hearing that lawmakers should go much further and force Ohio cities to extend the favorable treatment of tax losses from 5 to 20 years. At the federal level, Speaker Paul Ryan’s House Republican budget blueprint calls for allowing the tax break to grow with inflation and taking them for an unlimited number of years, not just the 18 Trump enjoyed.

Ohio cities are coping with the elimination of the estate tax and cuts in state revenue-sharing and now are dealing with this new major hit on revenue. Further expanding the ability of businesses to shield taxable income for years after experiencing a loss means that individual rate payers have to pay more or local communities will continue to be starved of critical resources needed for public safety and other services.

As local official put it when this state law passed, “If businesses don’t pay, residents will have to.”

The Trump-Pence ticket, alongside Senator Rob Portman, have attempted to paint themselves as champions of the needs of everyday working Americans.

Innovation Ohio has examined their records and proposals ranging from wages to paid leave. What we’ve found is that the worker-friendly rhetoric doesn’t quite match the records. For issues that are important to citizens in the 21st century workforce, these candidates have consistently come up short.

]]>http://innovationohio.org/2016/10/18/where-trump-pence-and-portman-stand-on-issues-that-impact-working-families/feed/0Use the #FamiliesFirst Action Guide to Help Raise the Stakes for Women and Working Families in the Ohio US Senate Racehttp://innovationohio.org/2016/10/14/use-the-familiesfirst-action-guide-to-help-raise-the-stakes-for-women-and-working-families-in-the-ohio-us-senate-race/
http://innovationohio.org/2016/10/14/use-the-familiesfirst-action-guide-to-help-raise-the-stakes-for-women-and-working-families-in-the-ohio-us-senate-race/#respondFri, 14 Oct 2016 17:14:29 +0000http://innovationohio.org/?p=13198

The Ohio US Senate Debates Must Put #FamiliesFirst

While it’s encouraging that issues impacting women and working families have entered the national spotlight during the 2016 election cycle—the discussion can’t stop there. Ohio voters deserve to hear from both Senate candidates on the issues that will have a direct impact on women and working families such as affordable child care, access to paid leave, raising the minimum wage, and addressing student debt.

Every Ohio woman and working family should be able to make livable wages, take care of a new baby, family member, or recover from their own illnesses, to access affordable, high-quality child care, or get an education without being straddled with debt for decades. Ohio women and working families have too much at stake in 2016 to not hold your Senate candidates accountable for where they stand. Use this #FamiliesFirst toolkit to demand that Ted Strickland and Rob Portman put policies for women and working families at the forefront of the election and make these issues a central part of the Ohio US Senate race debates.

Ahead of the Ohio US Senate debates between Rob Portman and Ted Strickland, advocates released a sign-on letter of 15 organizations – and growing – representing tens of thousands of Ohioans urging the candidates to discuss where they stand on issues impacting women and working families during the debates. The letter was presented by advocates during the “Raising the Stakes” for Ohio Women and Working Families” Event hosted by Innovation Ohio, NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, Ohio AFL-CIO, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, ProgressOhio, SEIU District 1199, Stand Up For Ohio, The Center For American Progress, and The Ohio Democratic Party.

The full letter can be read here. The organizations will deliver the letter to the campaign offices of the candidates ahead of the upcoming three debates, as well as sending copies to the news stations hosting the debates in Youngstown, Columbus, and Cleveland. To add you organization’s name to the letter, please contact Erin Ryan with Innovation Ohio at ryan@innovationohio.org.

RELEASE: Ohio Leaders and Voters Call on Senate Candidates to Address Key Working Family Policies in Debate

Ohio Leaders and Elected Local Officials to Underscore Need to Put Women and Working Family Policies at the Forefront of the National Dialogue and Shape the Politics of the Future

Columbus, OH – Today, Ohio leaders and elected officials discussed strategies to move the conversation forward on progressive policies central to Ohio families. Nearly 15 local organizations, representing a large electorate, released a letter calling on Ohio U.S. Senate candidates – Rob Portman and Ted Strickland – to put key issues impacting women and working families at the forefront at their upcoming debates.

From affordable child care and access to paid leave, to student debt and raising the minimum wage, working families and their needs are shaping the 2016 elections in races at every level. Ohio elected officials –U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, Columbus City Council Member Elizabeth Brown, State Representatives Emilia Sykes and Stephanie Howse, and Toledo Mayor Paula Hudson Hicks – addressed the issues central to women and working families, and how to move the needle to ensure all elected leaders and candidates are not only talking about child care, paid leave and other key issues, but shaping the politics of 2017.

“For the first time, issues like child care and paid leave are at the forefront of the national debate,” stated Katie Hamm, Senior Director of Early Childhood Policy at the Center for American Progress Action Fund. “As families face growing child care costs and limited access to work-family policies like paid leave, there is growing awareness across the country that we need a national solution. Voters are demanding it of their candidates.”

Alongside other costs, working families in the United States lose out on at least $28.9 billion in lost wages annually due to lack of access to affordable child care and paid family and medical leave — severely crippling a major sect of the U.S. workforce. Child care for an Ohio family with two young children pay an average of more than $16,000 per year at a child care center, causing parents, especially working mothers, to exit the workforce to become full time caregivers, costing them hundreds of thousands in lifetime earnings.

During the event, numerous advocacy and labor organizations, on behalf of tens of thousands of Ohioans, presented a letter as a call to action for former Gov. Ted Strickland and Sen. Rob Portman to prioritize these key issues during the upcoming debates. Sen. Sherrod Brown also addressed the Columbus audience on their power to influence local and national politics.

“The success of working families and their access to opportunity have a direct correlation to our economic health, “stated Erin Ryan, Women’s Issues Program Manager for Innovation Ohio. “Lawmakers have a responsibility to advance sound, robust policy solutions that provide a pathway to economic security for working families, and Ohioans – and all Americans –deserve to know that our candidates are putting this first.”

Among the organizations involved in this call to action are: The Ohio Democratic Party
The Center for American Progress Action Fund
Innovation Ohio
SEIU District 1199WV/KY/OH
Progress Ohio
NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio Ohio AFL-CIO
Stand Up For Ohio

The Voter Guide reviews where Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump stand on working family and women’s issues outlined in their policy agenda. It can be used as a ‘fact checker’ by debate viewers looking for a non-partisan comparison of the candidates’ stances on issues from paid leave, to equal pay, to access to reproductive healthcare services. The Women’s Public Policy Network and member organizations stated that they also plan to continue to use the Voter Guides throughout the election cycle as a voter engagement tool.

Two of the policy issues that Innovation Ohio has worked on – paid leave and affordable child care – were reviewed in the Voter Guide. These issues have been covered heavily in the national spotlight over the last week as Trump announced policy proposals for both issues, and as the media compares his plans to Clinton’s.

In the national movement to advance these policies, it was important milestone to have the presidential candidates from both major parties putting forward plans on this issues. It’s equally as important, though, to understand the substance and impact of these policies. The Voter Guide assesses both their plans for these policies, and more, side-by-side to explore their direct impact on women and families; especially low-income and working women.

Voters watching the debates deserve to know where the candidates stand on issues impacting women and working families, not just campaign rhetoric. Having this guide handy during the debates will be a valuable tool to cut through horse-race politics, and ‘fact check’ in real time. More information on the Women’s Public Policy Network, and access the full Voter Guide can be found online, at womenspublicpolicynetwork.org.

]]>http://innovationohio.org/2016/09/23/voter-guide-released-by-the-ohio-womens-public-policy-network-ahead-of-presidential-debate/feed/0Dayton’s first year of paid family leavehttp://innovationohio.org/2016/09/14/daytons-first-year-of-paid-family-leave/
http://innovationohio.org/2016/09/14/daytons-first-year-of-paid-family-leave/#respondWed, 14 Sep 2016 18:41:50 +0000http://innovationohio.org/?p=13125

In August, 2015, Dayton became the first City in Ohio to announce it was granting paid parental leave to all municipal employees. The City adopted a policy nearly identical to that available to State of Ohio employees: a two-week, unpaid waiting period followed by four weeks paid at 70 percent of a worker’s usual rate. The policy was extended to both mothers and fathers after the birth, adoption or foster placement of a new child. While on leave, employees may use accumulated leave balances to supplement their pay up to 100 percent, and, in some cases, the City approved flexible schedules to allow workers without sufficient leave balances to work part-time and still receive partial pay.

In contrast with the Family and Medical Leave Act, which requires workers to have been on the job for at least 12 months to be eligible for unpaid leave, Dayton extended benefits to all employees. Staff with less than a year on the job could still take unpaid or partially paid leave under the Dayton program.

When it implemented the policy, Dayton used a model published by Innovation Ohio to estimate the rate of leave-taking among its workforce. Using the IO model and data on the Dayton workforce, over the course of a year, the City expected 66 workers to take leave.

One year later, the results are in. In conversation with City of Dayton staff earlier this month, we learned that the actual number of employees who used parental leave was 64, very close to the 66 our model predicted. Similarly, the projected value of the leave according to the IO model was $191,000 while the actual “value” of leave used by Dayton employees was $170,000. (Note: the value of the leave is merely the number of hours at the worker’s usual rate of pay. The City did not actually incur additional costs to offer the benefit.)

Departments were not given additional funds to deal with any costs associated with workers taking leave. Instead, they were told to absorb any overtime costs within their budgets as they would for overtime used to cover other types of leave. Human Resources examined overtime use at the Police Department and found no discernable increase compared to the prior year. No other departments have reported having challenges keeping overtime under budget.

Interestingly, out of 64 employees who took leave, 54 were men. This is unsurprising, given the large proportion of safety forces — still male-dominated professions — in the City’s workforce. Fire Department employees were the top leave-takers, with 23 employees making use of the benefit, followed by 16 in the Police Department.

Also notable was the observation by City staff that most employees use all the paid leave they were afforded, in contrast to findings in California that men are less likely to take leave, and when they do are out for shorter time periods than women. This could be explained by the fact that Dayton’s policy offers 70 percent of pay during leave, with the ability to supplement up to 100 percent using accrued leave, making it far more generous than the 55 percent of pay offered in California.

Today, City staff offered an update on highlights of the program’s first year at its regular Commission meeting. We congratulate Dayton on the anniversary of this important family-friendly workplace policy.

Today a new report from Ohio Hedge Clippers – a coalition of policy, labor and grassroots organizing groups — shows the role billionaire hedge fund managers have played in the loss of thousands of Ohio jobs.

In 2009, in the midst of government bailout talks with the Big Three automakers, hedge funds purchased the outstanding debt of auto parts manufacturer Delphi — currently struggling in bankruptcy — for pennies on the dollar. These “vulture capitalists” (so-called because they prey on firms that are near death, seeking profits by slashing costs) were later able to convert their investment into a controlling share of the company’s stock.

The new controlling faction terminated health insurance for many Delphi retirees and threatened to shut down the company if it didn’t get a piece of the government bailout. The hedge funds held the taxpayers, auto industry, and Delphi workers hostage to its steep, anti-worker demands. According to today’s report:

Singer and the other hedge fund vultures wanted more public subsidies for the company and reductions of its obligations to workers like collective bargaining agreements, union wages, health care, and defined benefit pensions.

Because of their considerable leverage (Delphi is a critical supplier to US automakers), they were able to reject a deal to keep 15 of their 29 US facilities open and unionized. Today, one vulture brags that “virtually none” of the workers in Delphi’s remaining 4 US facilities are unionized; thousands more lost their jobs. Taxpayers ultimately contributed $12.9 billion in bailout funds, including $5.6 billion to assume responsibility for much of the Delphi pension obligations. The company has reincorporated abroad to avoid US taxes.

Former Delphi plant in Dayton, Ohio

As they took aim at US workers, the hedge funds walked away with a huge profit. After taking the company public in 2011, one fund made $390 million, another $1.3 billion. The biggest payday went to Paulson & Company, whose shares grew by $2.6 billion.

The report warns that many of the same hedge funds are behind the pending merger of Dow and DuPont, which has already led to 10,000 layoffs and promises $3 billion more in “savings.” At risk are the combined 13 Dow and DuPont Ohio facilities and the more 2,000 employees who work there.

Vulture capitalists are increasingly playing an outsized role in politics. Since Citizens United opened the door to nearly unlimited funding for Super PACs, hedge fund managers have dumped billions into efforts to select our next President and Congress.

In fact, 4 of the 5 largest contributors to Fighting for Ohio, one of the two main Super PACs supporting Rob Portman, are hedge fund managers (see table):

Largest contributions to Fighting For Ohio, a pro-Portman Super PAC

At the top of the list is Robert Mercer of Renaissance Technologies, who in addition to supporting Portman has recently put his considerable wealth fully behind Donald Trump’s presidential bid. And the CEO of Paulson & Company — the largest beneficiary of the Delphi takeover — was recently named by Trump as one of his chief economic advisers.

Why do fund managers spend so much on politics? No doubt they seek to preserve their favorable tax treatment of their investment earnings that subjects them to a tax rate lower than that paid by most working Ohioans. Rules allowing companies like Delphi to move their profits overseas to avoid paying US taxes are also popular with vultures seeking to make a buck.

Trump may talk tough about hedge funds, but they make up a large part of his economic team. And Portman, who has made an issue of the pension mess at Delphi, should look no further than the backers of his Super PAC for an explanation.

Rob Portman called the auto rescue a “lousy deal” that would lead to lost jobs and taxpayers left footing the bill. He couldn’t have been more wrong.

Innovation Ohio has just released a new report on the success of the auto rescue. The rescue has been an unequivocal success story for Ohio. Employment has surpassed the level seen immediately before the recession. Private sector investment in the sector has been substantial. The industry is now thriving nationwide and just set a sales record in 2015.

Click here, to read our report on the success of the auto rescue and find out what Rob Portman and Donald Trump had to say about it.

Our latest report examines the progress that the Cleveland Municipal School District (CMSD) has made since the state legislature passed the so- called “Cleveland Plan” and voters approved a new levy in 2012.

Make no mistake, there has been progress. For the first time in decades, enrollment in CMSD has increased. Graduation rates have also increased, disciplinary actions have decreased, and proficiency test scores have improved relative to other large urban school districts.

However, many challenges still remain. The successes mentioned above are only relative to other challenged school districts. The district’s national fourth grade reading and math scores have improved since 2012, but remain mired in the bottom of districts nationally – as they have over the last decade.

Our report also discusses the education supports created in The Plan such as efforts to expand early childhood education, the formation of the Cleveland Transformation Alliance to establish greater local control and a better informed community about its schools’ quality, and the implementation of wraparound services to create a broader support network for students and schools.

In light of the Ohio General Assembly’s decision in 2015 to create the Academic Distress Commission to reform Youngstown City Schools, Innovation Ohio has put forward some findings to assist the Commission in its mission.

“While it is extremely problematic the back room way the plan was jammed down the throats of the voters and citizens of Youngstown, if the CEO and Commission follow the evidence, it’s possible positive changes can happen for the city’s children,” said Innovation Ohio Education Policy Fellow Steve Dyer. “The reason for this report is to give the CEO and citizens the tools to proceed using evidence, rather than ideology, to improve the lives of children. We hope the leaders follow our suggestions and the citizens hold those leaders accountable for doing so.”

The proposals included in this report revolve around three areas: 1) classroom level reforms, 2) Integrated Student Services, and 3) advocacy for research based reforms.

For example, universal preschool for 3 and 4 year olds has been shown to pay dividends throughout the lives of children who participate. Similarly, students in the K-3 grade levels benefit greatly from smaller class sizes due to the need for individual attention.

Integrated Student Services is a method – used to much positive effect in Cincinnati – that works to mitigate non-academic factors in student success such as child care, substance abuse prevention, and nutrition.

If the Ohio Department of Education tries to verify that students at the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow are online 5 hours a day, ECOT Superintendent Rick Teeters told email recipients, “they would likely force us and other e-schools to close our doors.”

Exactly.

It’s called accountability.

At issue is ECOT’s whole business model — getting paid $7,127 per student (more per pupil state funding than 85 percent of Ohio’s traditional school districts) to simply offer 920 hours of curriculum to kids, not actually prove they are educating them. ECOT received $108 million last school year from the state, and has been paid nearly $1 billion since it opened in 2000.

This is nothing less than an existential fight for the nation’s largest for-profit charter school.

ODE wants to verify that the kids it’s sending taxpayer money to educate actually logged on and off enough to justify the $108 million expenditure. ECOT claims in a lawsuit filed last week that ODE doesn’t understand its technology, which is so apparently groundbreaking that it allows kids to be educated effectively without logging in.

As Special Counsel to the Ohio Attorney General Douglas R. Cole put it in his filing responding to ECOT’s complaints,

“Under a plain, common-sense reading of the community school (charter school) funding statutes, ECOT is required to track. and ODE to reimburse for, actual student participation. Finding otherwise would render numerous (Ohio Revised Code) provisions … meaningless, and, as a more fundamental matter, the statutory scheme would not make sense.”

How else do regulators determine student participation in online educational experiences except through logging in and out of the system? It’s sort of like saying that a student in a traditional setting is “participating” even if the student shows up to school for a few minutes every so often. ECOT is arguing, essentially, that it should be paid in full for educating kids that barely show up simply because ECOT would let them in if they ever did show up.

It’d be one thing if ECOT’s performance indicated this novel approach actually worked. However, as has been documented over and over again, ECOT’s performance is among the worst of any school in the state, and it can’t even graduate 4 out of 10 kids.

So the returns aren’t great.

According to the Dispatch article about the ECOT lawsuit, we may have a hearing as early as today to decide whether ODE can proceed with its quasi-audit of ECOT’s kids. So we may have clarity about whether this count moves forward very shortly.

But if ECOT is forced to close because ODE is simply checking to make sure the school is educating students the state has already paid to educate, that says something about how ineffective ECOT has been.

And it explains, once again, just how lacking Ohio has been on charter school oversight. For it appears that all ODE had to do to overcome ECOT’s significant political clout was to simply ask them to prove their kids actually participate in an educational program.

On June 28th, we stood with fellow advocates for women and families for a press conference to announce the formation of a new coalition called the Ohio Women’s Public Policy Network. The coalition, convened by Innovation Ohio Education Fund, is comprised of over 20 organizations from across the state that will work collaboratively to advocate for public policy that positively impacts women and families.

FIGHTING FOR OHIO’S WOMEN AND FAMILIES

Over two-thirds of women in Ohio are the sole, primary, or co-breadwinner for families. Yet public policies do not reflect the changing dynamics of the workforce, and have failed to take into account the role that women play in supporting families. These were fundamental reasons for forming the Women’s Public Policy Network.

State policy can play an important role in helping women achieve economic security for themselves and their families. In order to measure the progress that the state legislature has taken to advance our policy goals, we have developed a Women’s Economic Security Scorecard which evaluates progress in three categories: 1.) Promoting Economic Security for Women and Families; 2.) Ensuring Fairness and Opportunity in the Workplace; and 3.) Improving Women’s Health and Wellbeing.

A DEEPER DIVE

The results of the 131st General Assembly Scorecard demonstrate that the current state legislature has largely ignored our policy goals for women’s economic security. Of the 22 policy goals we reviewed in the Scorecard, over half of them failed to rise above a ‘D’ score and not a single one scored an ‘A’. The goals related to access to reproductive healthcare moved in the wrong direction, earning ‘F’ grades on the Scorecard. With harmful legislation restricting access to adequate and affordable comprehensive healthcare – including reproductive healthcare services like abortion, contraception, and prenatal care – the goal of economic security is cut short for women and families.

There were some positive steps taken by the legislature to earn ‘B’ scores for the policy goal of increasing the affordability of childcare and the goals related to providing protections to survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Most significant was the long awaited passage of legislation, which creates an address confidentiality program for survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, and stalking. Yet, these victories were overshadowed by the lack of a concerted effort to advance positive policy solutions overall. You can download the full report to see how the 131st GA scored on each policy goal here.

HOLDING LAWMAKERS ACCOUNTABLE

There were a number legislative solutions which failed to move forward before the summer recess, which we hope to see movement on upon the legislature’s return including: bills that would create a state-wide paid family and medical leave program, a bill with bi-partisan support from all the female legislators in the Senate which would provide reasonable accommodations in the workplace for pregnant employees, and legislation extending protections against dating or intimate partner violence. With the collective power of the coalition, we plan to hold our lawmakers accountable for the actions – or lack of action – taken to advance policies that can help women and families achieve economic security. Find out more by visiting the official WPPN website.

The rising importance of cities is well-documented: over 80 percent of Americans now live in urban areas, and the growth of cities far outstrips that of the country as a whole. In Ohio, roughly 90 percent of residents currently live in one the state’s six largest metro areas. With no foreseeable end in sight, urban migration will place increasing pressure on city governments to provide effective policy solutions.

Unfortunately, city governments have not been receiving the support they need from Columbus. From 2004 to 2014, disbursements of state-sponsored funds to local government have been cut almost in half, hampering cities’ ability to provide essential services and undertake long-overdue growth projects. Just how big is the revenue hole for Ohio’s cities and townships? Local government funding over the next two years is expected to be more than $623 million less than it was in 2008-2009, according to a recent investigation by the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Luckily, Ohio’s cities are also home to some of its most ambitious innovators. Perhaps the brightest example of Ohio’s leadership came this week as the City of Columbus received word that it was selected as the recipient of $50 million as part of the US Department of Transportation’s new Smart Cities grant. City leaders successfully pitched Columbus to USDOT and its private funding partners, emphasizing the ways that intelligent transportation systems can address socioeconomic barriers to employment and serve an increasingly urbanized young professional population. The Columbus team beat out five other finalists including Austin, Portland and San Francisco for funding that will fund high-tech infrastructure, create mobility options in low-income neighborhoods and reduce climate impacts.

In recent years, cities and villages across the Buckeye state have developed innovative new approaches to a number of critically important issues:

Paid Family Leave

Dayton Mayor Nan WhaleyCincinnati Mayor John Cranley

Last year, under the leadership of mayors Nan Whaley and John Cranley, Dayton and Cincinnati passed generous paid family leave policies for city employees, joining a growing list of major cities around the country. At the rollout of Dayton’s paid family leave plan, Mayor Nan Whaley remarked that “Paid parental leave is not only the right thing to do, but it strengthens women and families, reduces gender based economic disparities, has positive impacts on local economies, and improves health outcomes.”

Newburgh Heights Mayor Trevor Elkins

At a recent meeting of the Newburgh Heights city council, members voted unanimously to provide six months of paid leave to all city employees, at 100% of salary. The policy is the first of its kind in the United States, and has attracted the attention of Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, who praised mayor Trevor Elkins as “a leader on an issue that keeps people up at night.”

The Newburgh Heights decision has once again shone a light on the potential for cities to serve as incubators of policy innovation.

Living Wage

In addition to its robust paid leave policy, Cincinnati has put into place a $15 minimum wage for city employees, expanded the range of triggers for prevailing wage requirements, and passed a hard-hitting wage theft ordinance that would revoke licenses from companies convicted of committing wage theft and require the reimbursement of victims. On Tuesday, Franklin county commissioners followed Cincinnati’s lead in passing a new ‘living wage’ ordinance for county employees. Building on the momentum of its southern neighbors, the Service Employees International Union is leading the charge to introduce a $15 minimum wage in the city of Cleveland.

Civil Rights

Columbus City Council Member Elizabeth BrownCuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish

In Columbus, Councilwoman Elizabeth Brown proposed, and fellow Council members unanimously adopted the Healthcare Worker and Patient Protection Ordinance, aimed at ensuring that healthcare workers and patients can enter healthcare facilities without fear of harassment, intimidation, or stalking. The law is based on model ordinances already in place in Colorado, Massachusetts, and NYC. And Cuyahoga County was the first in Ohio to place a ban on official travel to North Carolina after the state adopted a law that eliminates legal protections for the LGBT community.

These examples, as well as countless other bold, forward-facing policies introduced by city lawmakers, serve to illustrate the tremendous wealth of leadership that we enjoy in the State of Ohio. City leaders are paving the way for a brighter, more equitable future, by making our cities attractive places to work and live. It is time that the Ohio legislature stepped behind these efforts by providing Ohio’s innovators with the resources and funds necessary to amplify and expand municipal programs.

Bill Analysis: This bill would expand the offenses of menacing of stalking to include the prohibition of a person from knowingly causing another person to believe that physical harm or mental distress will be caused by the offender to a family member or household member of the person.

Status: The bill was introduced on April 13, 2015. It was referred to the House Judiciary Committee on April 21, 2015. Received Committee Hearing on May 5, 12, and 26, 2015. It was reported out of Committee 12-0 on May 26, 2015 and passed in the full House 88-0 on October 7, 2015.

The bill was referred to the Senate Criminal Justice Committee on October 14, 2015. It received Committee Hearings on October 28, November 18, December 2, and December 9, 2015. An amended version was reported out of Committee 10-0 on December 9, 2015. It passed the full Senate 33-0 on April 13, 2016.

On April 20, 2016, the House concurred 82-0 on Senate Amendments to remove provisions that would have violated the one-subject rule. It was delivered to the Governor and signed into law on May 17, 2016 and became effective on August 16, 2016.

Having previously served in the Bush Administration as U.S. Trade Representative, Portman shifted to a new role in the Bush Cabinet in 2006 when he was appointed as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Portman’s signature accomplishment in this position was the creation of the fiscal year 2008 budget. Here are just a few notable data points:

As the Director of the Office of Budget and Management under George W. Bush, Rob Portman oversaw a budget that nearly tripled the annual federal deficit from $161 billion to $458 billion.

Portman’s 2008 budget proposed to make the Bush tax cuts permanent, which give the wealthiest 10 percent over half of the benefit and added $1 trillion to the national debt.

Shortly before the economy collapsed in 2008 and revenue shrunk by 1.7 percent, Portman wrongly predicted that the economy would grow and revenue would increase by 5.4 percent.

Portman woefully underestimated the impacts of the looming mortgage crisis, stating that he ‘had a hard time imagining’ that foreclosures would impact the economy or the 2008 budget.

At the same time he was proposing to cut taxes for those at the top, Rob Portman was also proposing to cut 141 different programs, including entitlements for the poor.

Rob Portman’s budget criticisms of Barack Obama and Ted Strickland ring hollow considering the national debt grew from $8.3 trillion to $8.8 trillion under his watch as Budget Director.

]]>http://innovationohio.org/2016/06/02/portmanquiz/feed/0Portman’s Track Record on Trade and His Sudden Shift on TPPhttp://innovationohio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/IOReport_PortmanTradeRecord_4-1-16.pdf
http://innovationohio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/IOReport_PortmanTradeRecord_4-1-16.pdf#respondTue, 31 May 2016 15:54:29 +0000http://innovationohio.org/?p=12803

Bill Analysis: This bill would establish a family and medical leave insurance program for the state. The program would provide up to 12 weeks in a 12-month period of paid leave benefits for an employee to address their own serious health condition, care for a family member, or to bond with and care for a child following the birth or adoption. It would be funded through employee payroll deductions and take affect in 2020 to allow time for funds to be withheld and deposited through the Ohio Department of Jobs & Family Services.

Status: The bill was introduced in the Senate on April 7, 2016. It was referred to the Senate Transportation, Commerce & Labor Committee on April 12, 2016. Received a Committee Hearings on May 11, 2016.

Bill Analysis: This legislation would require certain health care professionals to complete instruction in cultural competency. The health care professionals that would be impacted by this bill include those seeking to practice or continue practicing as dentists, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, optometrists, pharmacists, physicians, psychologists, independent social workers, and social work assistants.

The bill is aimed at helped to eliminate health care disparities among racial, ethnic, and cultural communities by requiring cultural competency training of health care professionals to better communication and respect of culture between the provider and their patients.

Status: The bill was introduced in the House on April 12, 2016. It was referred to the House Commerce and Labor Committee on April 26, 2016. It received a Committee hearing on May 3, 2016.

Ohio is facing a looming water quality crisis, and state lawmakers have proposed a potential solution that could come before voters in the fall.

Over 11.1 million Ohioans depend on water from the taps of Ohio’s public water systems. In many communities, this infrastructure is aging and badly in need of repair. Officials in Cincinnati, just one of Ohio’s 1,218 community water systems, are maintaining a sewer system that is more than 100 years old. Overall, Ohio rates only a C- for the state of its infrastructure, as determined by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

In addition to inheriting an aging infrastructure, dozens of Ohio communities are also under legal orders from the US EPA that require them to address the overflow of raw sewage into sources of drinking water and recreation. According to the Greater Ohio Policy Center, 88 cities are operating under consent orders with US EPA. These orders mandate that communities fix their outdated system designs that carry a combination of sewer and wastewater or result in overflows of raw sewage into sources of freshwater during storm events. It is estimated that repairs could cost over $14.5 billion, three-quarters of which is needed in Ohio’s mid-sized cities with 200,000 or fewer residents.

The total cost of upgrades needed by Ohio’s sewer, drinking water and wastewater systems is estimated at approximately $26.4 billion.

Most of the responsibility to build and maintain infrastructure falls on local governments. Typically, 99 percent of the cost of water system are paid for by local taxpayers. And in many Ohio communities, these rates have increased dramatically in recent years in order to support necessary repairs. The average annual bill for residential sewer service in 2014 was $626, up 3.2% from the year before and growing faster than the cost of inflation. Water service costs the typical residential customer another $573 each year, and those costs are also climbing faster than other household expenses.

Yet, despite its importance in supporting growth in both residential and business users, spending on capital infrastructure has actually declined as the economy has grown. Investment in infrastructure on a per capita basis dropped from $1.17 in 1960 to just eighty-five cents in 2007 (in 2009 dollars).

Part of the reason that communities are unable to keep up with mounting capital construction projects to deal with an aging, and in many cases, toxic water and sewer infrastructures is that local government are coping with funding declines. An IO analysis found that Ohio cities have been cut by nearly half a billion dollars annually as a result of state policy changes enacted since 2011. For many of the communities we examined, the loss of state revenue was between 10 and 25 percent of their annual budgets. Taken together with effects of the global recession on tax collections, many communities have little left after meeting basic budgetary obligations to pay debt service on bonds to finance needed infrastructure repairs.

There are a number of financial aid programs available for water and sewer projects, but each is aimed at a specific need, such as rural or Appalachian communities or low-income populations, and many have very low maximum loan or grant amounts, or require matching funds. Ohio’s Senate Minority Leader, Joe Schiavoni has proposed issuing up to $100 million in bonds annually for 10 years to provide a boost to local communities upgrading their water, wastewater and sewer systems.

The proposal from Schiavoni, Senate Joint Resolution 3 (SJR3), would provide another tool for communities trying to move projects forward. The proposal, which has sponsors from both parties, would permit the state to issue $1 billion in bonds over ten years in order to award grants to local communities for wastewater treatment systems, water supply systems, and stormwater and sanitary collection, storage, and treatment facilities.

Schiavoni proposed the legislation after sewage overflows into Youngstown’s Mill Creek Metroparks resulted in an extensive fish kill from toxic E. coli bacteria. The Senator learned the city faced $147 million in necessary system upgrades, mandated by a settlement with the US EPA to bring it into compliance with the Clean Water Act, and is working on a timeline of up to 20 years to complete the work. Youngstown is hardly alone. In addition to the other 86 systems mandated to upgrade to avoid sewer overflows, Cincinnati is obligated to spend $3.4 billion on its aging system, a mutli-decade endeavor that has already resulted in residential sewer bills climbing to nearly $1,000 per year.

In addition to moving projects forward on a faster timeline, the proposal could also give the state a needed jobs boost. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts determined that 19,769 total jobs are created for every $1 billion in public spending on water infrastructure. The US Conference of Mayors commissioned a study that found investments in water and sewer infrastructure often have greater returns than spending on other types of infrastructure because of its contribution to economic activity. In fact, spending on public infrastructure creates more jobs than tax cuts.

SJR3 is currently pending in a Senate Committee, but if passed by both chambers of the legislature, would go to voters for approval in November.

Innovation Ohio Education Fund was one of twenty organizations that came together to host Women United for Change on Wednesday, April 20th. This advocacy and educational event brought together advocates to learn more about policy solutions to issues impacting women, and ways that they can advocate for the passage of positive legislation. Nearly 60 advocates for women and girls from all corners of the state gathered on Capitol Square to hear from Ohio legislators about pending legislation that impacts safety and protection from violence against women, women’s health and addiction, and women’s business and economic justice. The event was concluded with a session on best practices of how to be effective advocates and lobby legislators.

In February, state lawmakers introduced bipartisan legislation that would create important workplace legal protections for Ohio women. Applicable to all workplaces with 5 or more employees, Senate Bill 301 would require employers to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant and breastfeeding workers to allow them to remain in their jobs. Currently, no such protections exist, so women who may require frequent bathroom breaks, a place to sit or to avoid heavy lifting may today be fired or forced to take leave without pay.

According to the Plain Dealer, more than 1,500 complaints have been filed with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission about workplace discrimination related to pregnancy, making clear that the problem is a genuine threat to women’s (and families’) economic security. As of December, 2015, the National Partnership for Women and Families reported that 16 states, the District of Columbia and four cities have enacted pregnancy nondiscrimination laws.

The primary sponsors of S.B. 301 are Democrat Capri Cafaro and Republican Shannon Jones. In fact, every female member of the Ohio Senate — from both parties — has endorsed the legislation. The bill has been assigned to the Senate Civil Justice committee where it will receive its first hearing today.

Bill Analysis: This bill would establish a family and medical leave insurance program for the state. The program would provide up to 12 weeks in a 12-month period of paid leave benefits (up to $1,000 a week) for an employee to address their own serious health condition, care for a family member, or to bond with and care for a child following the birth or adoption.

Status: Introduced in the House on April 7, 2016. The bill was referred to the House Committee on Insurance on April 26, 2016.